Undisclosed
by BlueMoon Goddess
Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.
1. Chapter 1

BlueMoon Goddess: I've read a few AOT fics and so far haven't seen that many AU ones before, so I decided to take a shot at it. This is my first fic for this fandom and I'll try to portray the characters as accurately as possible. Also, I came up with this after reading from one of my favorite authors and thought this story would be great to use. I also got the inspiration for the title of this fic from Muse's song 'Undisclosed Desires.' It's a good song and if you haven't listened to it, than I suggest you do. Anyway, enough of my rambling, I hope you all enjoy the first chapter, so happy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by Lane Parker. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

_**Four Years Ago**_…

He watched, his stare completely transfixed on the woman who was center stage, giving her valedictorian speech at the local high school graduation.

Echo Sullivan.

He clenched his fists as they rested on his thighs, willing his emotions to stop trying to rule his actions. She didn't belong to him…and she never would. But she damn well needed a protector, because everyone in her life had done a pretty shitty job of keeping her safe for the first eighteen years of her life. For that reason alone, he felt it was his duty to make sure she was looked after.

His Echo.

His fiery ember.

The woman who was stumbling valiantly through her talk about goals, dreams, and education after graduation was way too much of an adult to ever be anything else but his ember.

Had she ever been a kid?

He expected that she hadn't.

He did know that she was smart…and beautiful. Her reddish auburn hair burning brighter than any fire he ever saw. As well as also so damn brave that his heart felt like it was in a vise as he watched her struggle through her speech. He was pretty sure he was more worried about her making it through the speech than she was at the moment. She seemed to radiate pain and hopelessness, even as she spoke of upbeat topics to the crowd.

He could sense it.

He could feel it.

Even though he seemed to be the only one who noticed as he looked around at the crowd of smiling faces as Echo continued to speak. She was so fucking alone, and for some reason he didn't understand, he felt that, too. Her mother had died just months ago, and all she had was a father who had never given a damn about her. He had to wonder what was going to happen to this smart, intrepid female once graduation was over.

Dammit! He hated the thought of her leaving Arizona. She had ability and intellect, but where was her opportunity to pursue her own destiny? Top of her class, yet she'd lived in poverty her entire life. Pretty fucking extraordinary.

He clenched his fists harder, and locked his jaw, forcing him to control the possessive emotions that threatened to swallow him whole. What the fuck was wrong with him? He didn't covet any woman. Never had. And the shit he was feeling was pretty unwelcome for a guy who was known for not having any discernable emotions. His reaction to Echo was visceral, primal, and he had no damn idea why he felt he needed to jump onto that stage, scoop her up, and make sure that she never experienced another day of deprivation for the rest of her life.

He'd never felt like this before. But shockingly, the instincts were there, and they were damn near impossible to control, but he would master them. He always did. He knows he could never have her. It didn't matter how he felt. It was impossible.

It didn't matter that he didn't understand his bizarre connection to her. He was never going to act on those emotions.

He could, however, make sure she was safe. He'd make sure that she would always be okay. He couldn't ever touch her, but he could take care of her for as long as she needed him. He didn't ever want her to be alone in the world now that her mother was gone.

Even though his eyes never left her, his mind started to work on exactly how he could get close to her, but not too close. His dick was protesting because it wanted nothing more than for him to get just as damn close as possible to her so it could lose itself in Echo. So he could lose himself in her, too. Buried deep…buried hard. Surrounded by the moist heat that he instinctively knew would send him over the goddamn edge.

Son of a bitch!

Not. Going. To. Happen.

His body was tense as he tried to figure how much of his help she'd take. It was better if he was anonymous. He knew that.

His eyes searched her face as well as they possibly could at a distance, taking in the dark smudges under her eyes, and the defeated downward curve of her shoulders. Nobody has ever taken care of that woman. She was only eighteen years old, and Echo already knew all of the harsh realities of life. She'd been living them for years. She needed a chance to get all the education she wanted and deserved. Hell, she was top of her class.

He'd scanned the program before the ceremony had started. Echo had received scholarships. Several of them. But he had no idea what her plans really were now that her mother was gone.

"Thank you for coming to see the graduating students today as we move on to the next chapter in our lives." Echo mumbled, looking relieved that she could finally stop talking and get out of the limelight.

He watched her as she left the stage, knowing that he'd always make damn sure he knew where she was and how she was doing. He'd always keep track of her because he knew he wouldn't be able to help himself. He'd been fucked since the first time he'd laid eyes on her. In fact, he was pretty sure he'd just become her stalker. It wasn't just a physical attraction. There was something else, something more…

He stood with the rest of the crowd, clapping for her. God knew she deserved the accolades she was getting. It took a lot of guts to get up in front of this many people when it was the last thing she probably wanted to do.

"You ready?" The woman beside him asked.

He nodded as he followed her out of the auditorium, his brain distracted with ideas about what he could do to help Echo.

* * *

_**Present Day**_…

Echo was getting drunk at her own father's funeral reception. She might be her father's biological daughter, his only child, but she didn't know a single person present. She felt more than a little awkward as she looked around the Rosin household, the home of her late father, and wife.

'I just want to get out of here.' She thought, miserably.

As a waiter went by, she snagged another flute of champagne, and then dumped her empty glass. She wasn't usually much of a drinker, but she needed something to get her through the reception.

Echo gulped down half of the glass in one swallow, trying not to think about how many she'd already ingested. She'd taken every single one offered to her just to get through the event.

Granted, her dad had never really been a father to her, even when he was married to her mother years ago. But the life he'd led after he divorced her mother divorce and re-married another woman—an incredibly wealthy one at that—was news to her.

The Rosin family was filthy rich, a huge contrast to the poverty Echo had grown up in. This wasn't an informal gathering for grief-stricken relatives and friends. It looked more like an enormous party. She certainly didn't belong there.

Echo plucked a handful of little sandwiches from another tray as a female waitress passed by, forcing her to stop politely, and hand her a tiny plate. Like she needed something to put the tiny sandwiches on? They'd be gone in less than a minute. The second she moved on, Echo devoured the meat-filled bread that was missing a crust, and then discarded the delicate plate.

She slammed back the rest of the alcohol and dumped the empty flute, already wondering when she could find another waiter to get a refill.

'Stop, Echo! You can't keep eating like a person who hasn't seen food in months!' Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she then let it out slowly, trying to calm her nerves.

She was a stress eater. Always had been. The problem was that she'd never really had all that much food to comfort herself. Here, it was an anxiety smorgasbord, and she downed every bite she could get her hands on. But even after stuffing her face from every tray and swilling as much alcohol as possible, she was still one big giant mess.

She had to get out of there. She didn't belong there. All of the women were dressed in formal attire, but not necessarily the conservative, dark clothing used by mourners. Echo wondered if any of the attendees had ever even known her dad, or if they'd come just because it was a Rosin event. Many people would kill to attend anything hosted by this prominent, billionaire family. But Echo wasn't one of them. All she wanted was to escape.

The black dress she was wearing was modest and plain, something she'd purchased cheap from a second-hand store because she didn't have anything appropriate for a funeral.

Her mother had always told her that she could look as good as a rich person if she was handy with a needle and thread. Unfortunately, Echo had never been able to master being a seamstress like her mother had.

Most of the men were in suits, which was probably appropriate considering the reason why they were all there. But the atmosphere was one of smooth sophistication, fake laughter, and nothing like her mother's reception had been. Her mother hadn't been rich, but she'd been well-loved by her friends and co-workers. When she'd died over four years ago, those people had genuinely mourned her loss with a small memorial service. An event much different from the one she was attending now for her father.

Echo noticed that not a single one of the party-goers had been present at the graveside when her father was buried earlier in the day—except for her stepmother and few of her friends.

She shuddered, and then rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. It was late winter in Arizona, but the temperatures were like summer compared to her current home near Washington State University. But her quivering body had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with her situation.

Her father was dead…and she was officially all alone in the world.

Not that the two of them had been close, not even remotely. But Echo's father had been paying her college tuition and expenses that hadn't been covered by scholarships. Granted, she'd already completed her coursework for her bachelor's in computer science, and she was formally graduating from the university in a few months. But her ultimate goal was to get her master's in software engineering. She'd already applied to several programs, and gotten accepted by every single one of them. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to have the money to attend a master's unless she scored a job as a programmer, and worked full-time to support myself.

She didn't mind working hard. Echo had done it her entire life. She had planned on rejecting her father's support now that she had enough education to support herself. She just wasn't sure she could get a position fresh out of college to support herself all that quickly. And she still didn't have her diploma.

Echo strolled around the perimeter of the large room nervously, a space obviously meant for parties, but she didn't talk to anyone. She was intimidated by this many wealthy people all in one big room, and she didn't know why. Maybe because she'd had to worry about where her next meal was coming from her entire life. She had nothing in common with people who did.

She was a computer nerd. Echo would rather be working on something that matters. The whole memorial thing felt pretentious and uncomfortable. Was that the way a daughter was supposed to feel when her wealthy father suddenly passed away from a heart attack? She had mixed emotions about her late father. He had been her blood, but he hadn't supported her mother when Echo was a kid, and certainly not when she was a teenager after her mom's death. Echo's mom and her had lived poor while her father skipped out on any and all support to her mother. Echo resented those years when her mother and she had worked there asses off just to keep food on the table. However, when her mom had died near the end of her senior year in high school, her dad had finally stepped in to pay her way through college.

Echo really hadn't seen him during the last four years as she'd earned her degree in Seattle, so nothing had really changed. But her tuition balance always got paid, and she had enough money for living expenses. So really, she was grateful for her education, and how he'd contributed. Getting a job at a bar in Seattle while she was getting her bachelor's had been her idea, her way of saving. She had counted pennies while she was in college, saving as much as possible in case her father decided, at any time, to cut her off.

After all, he'd never exactly been trustworthy. So the money coming in to pay her college fees had never been taken for granted. Unfortunately, Echo didn't have nearly enough in her bank account to support herself for any length of time. All she'd needed was a few more months, time to get her diploma and a fulltime programming job.

Echo snatched a couple more sandwiches, but she passed on the alcohol because her head was already buzzing, and the bubbly wine wasn't doing a thing for her anxiety. The appetizers had just gone into her mouth when she noticed a tall, male figure standing beside her.

She felt a light touch to her arm. "Echo? Are you okay?"

She turned, and then hastened to swallow.

'Swallow, Echo. Swallow.'

It was Erwin Smith. Honestly, she didn't know him well. She remembered that him telling her that he was a friend of her stepmother's, serving in the same unit when they enlisted in the army during their younger years. Besides that, Echo's only interaction with Erwin had only been recently and involving her father's funeral, but she was relieved to see somebody she knew.

She nodded, unable to speak because she had a mouthful of sandwiches to choke down. Erwin Smith literally took her breath away. Aesthetically, he was so damn perfect. His blonde hair and striking icy blue eyes that mesmerized her. His perfectly ripped body filled out the suit he was wearing beautifully. His broad shoulders and massive chest made Echo wish they were closer. She'd have that perfect pair of muscular arms to throw herself into so she could sob out the sorrow that was locked inside her.

"I know you don't know many of the people here." He said in a regretful baritone.

Echo finally got the food down and found her voice. "That's okay. My father and I weren't exactly close."

Which was true. They never spoke at all, and Eli Sullivan wasn't around much when she was a kid, and she hadn't seen him at all during college. There were only the text messages that he'd started sending her after she'd gone off to college. The only other thing that had been there was the money. But Echo supposed she had to be grateful that he had cared enough to make sure she was okay financially. He hadn't needed to. God knew he'd gotten along just fine by ignoring her for the first eighteen years of her life.

"I am really sorry." Erwin said sincerely. "Maybe I can find Blaire. I know she'd like to be with you."

"No!" Echo said emphatically. "I'm good." She saw a tray of full glasses pass by, and had to force myself not to take one.

The last thing Echo wanted was to hang out with her stepmother. Blaire Rosin-Sullivan was nice enough, and she knew the woman meant well, but being with her made her uncomfortable. Echo was still mourning her mom, even though it had been four years now since she'd died. It felt awkward to be with her father's second wife, even though she'd been nothing but polite to her.

"Were they happy together?" Echo asked Erwin, before she could keep the words from flying out of my mouth.

He gave her a weak smile. "I have no idea. She rarely talked about your father. However, from what she told me during our last meeting, they seemed to basically live separate lives after about the first six months of their marriage.

Erwin was hedging. Echo could see it in his eyes. But she supposed it wasn't good to speak ill of the dead, especially on the day of their funeral.

She nodded, accepting the fact that she was never going to know her father through this man. Obviously from what Erwin said, they weren't close, and she certainly wouldn't blame him for that. Her dad had been a user, and he'd used his wife's money like he'd earned it himself, which he hadn't. Eli Sullivan had never really worked a day in his life.

"How long are you going to be in Arizona?" Erwin asked gently.

Echo shrugged. "I'm not sure. I should go back to Seattle for the next few months. I don't have to because I finished my classes last semester, so I'm open. I guess I'm on a job hunt for a programming gig wherever I can find one now."

All she'd really needed was a couple more months of her dad's support. Long enough to get something full-time in her field. Echo knew she wasn't going to get more hours from the bar and grill where she worked. She'd tried. There was nothing more available. She'd basically been biding her time until she could snag her diploma, and start the search for a better job before she entered a master's program.

Echo had grown up in the Phoenix area, and she'd always planned on moving back some day. She loved the warm winters there. And it was…home. Now that her best friend, Rachel, was back in the area, she wanted to be there, too. She was the closest thing to family that Echo had.

"I just happen to know a technology company right here in Phoenix who could use your talent." Erwin said with a smile.

"Which company would that be?"

"SC Technologies."

Echo had heard of that company. SC Technologies was one of the best technology companies in the entire world. Now that she thought about it, Erwin was the current CEO after the previous one, Keith Shadis, stepped down five years ago. Echo couldn't help but admire how Erwin elevated the company since it had come under his leadership. The corporation had still been a computer technology leader when Shadis had been at the helm, but Erwin had sent SC Technologies into the stratosphere by picking edgier, savvier projects to develop.

Like the robotic surgery project that Echo would give anything to be part of. Maybe someday…

SC Technologies would be her dream job. But she didn't aspire to get into a tech giant as a new programmer, even though she was graduating at the very top of her class. And she knew she could pass the certification exam. Most new programmers didn't bother with applying to SC Technologies because their certification test to enter the company was pure hell. Hard enough for an experienced programmer to get through, much less a newbie fresh out of college with no work experience.

What she didn't have in experience and education was made up for in her private studies and personal projects. She'd been capable of programming before she'd even entered college.

Echo raised an eyebrow. "Nepotism at SC Technologies?"

His smile turned into a genuine grin. "Not at all. You're obviously talented from the information I received from Blaire."

"I'll wait and apply on my own when I get my master's or some experience." Echo told him with a small smile.

"You're doing a higher degree?" He asked with surprise.

She nodded. "I want to get my master's in software engineering. I'm working on a private project to improve robotics."

"That would be right up our alley." Erwin said thoughtfully. "You realize we have a dedicated team for the development of robotic surgery, right? It's one of the projects that one of my colleagues, Levi Ackerman, is working on."

Echo nodded. "I know. You're doing incredible work. It's not like I wouldn't love to be on that team, even as an assistant. But I need to finish my master's before I'll be ready for that."

She'd do almost anything to be part of the SC team, but Levi Ackerman only had the best working on the specialized robotics team that he handpicked himself. And on paper, Echo wasn't anywhere near their caliber. She didn't want to do coding forever as a programmer. Echo was already working on software projects on her own time, but she needed the degree to get to where she wanted to be in the future. Maybe it was cliché, but she really wanted to make a difference in the world. That's all she'd ever really wanted.

"Good for you." Erwin said sincerely. "You're a smart woman, Echo. How many people graduate as valedictorian in high school, and the top of their class in college, too?"

'Only students like me who have nothing better to do than study and work.'

Echo was pretty sure that Erwin was trying to find a nice way of saying she was a geek. With her long reddish auburn hair, green-grey eyes, tiny frame, and unimpressive chest measurements, she was the quintessential academic overachiever. She'd often told herself that it was better to be smart than pretty, but she would've chosen to have both of them if she'd had that choice. Unfortunately, her brain was about all she had going for her.

The moment started to turn awkward when Echo couldn't find a single thing to say. She wasn't all that good with casual conversation, especially in an atmosphere she knew nothing about. She'd always been a poor girl.

"Are you sure you don't want to consider a job with SC?" Erwin asked.

SC shook my head. "My days of others supporting me are over. I'm twenty-two years old and I'm graduating with a degree. I'm grateful for that. I'll find a decent job."

"Someone else supported you?" He asked, sounding perplexed.

"My father was paying for my education that wasn't covered by scholarships." She explained. "And he didn't exactly work for that money himself."

"He was?" He looked even more confused. "I thought he never even paid your mother's child support. From what Blaire told me, she was livid when she found the paperwork proving that your father had never paid your mother a dime."

"He didn't. I guess he had a change of heart when my mom died. He helped me through my bachelor's."

"That's…surprising." He said cautiously.

"I never really understood it myself." Echo answered. "Maybe he felt guilty."

"Maybe." Erwin said, sounding unconvinced that her dad had changed his freeloading ways.

They were interrupted by a woman pushing through the crowd around them calling his name. Echo watched Erwin's expression. It revealed little emotion about the dark-brown haired woman and square thick-rimmed glasses coming their way.

"I think I'll go for a walk." Echo told him, freeing him so he could chat with the woman coming their way.

Erwin leaned closer. "Never forget that you have allies, Echo. I might not be your blood, but I am your friend now. You can ask me for anything you need. I can help get you through your master's program."

Echo knew his words were meant to be comforting and kind, but she wasn't feeling the comfort, no matter how much she wished for it right then. She was pretty sure she'd developed some kind of crush on Erwin over the few days they'd spent together arranging the funeral. The last thing she associated him with was as a friend.

"Thanks." She mumbled, then started pushing her way through the people surrounding her on all sides.

Erwin's words had made Echo remember just how alone she was at the age of twenty-two, and her body had suddenly started to react violently. Her heart was racing, and her vision was blurred as she tried to escape through the dense crowd of people in her way.

She had no family.

No family.

She had nobody.

Her mom's side had pretty much washed their hands of her when she'd married Eli. None of them had liked him—for good reason, so Echo wasn't close to anybody related to her mother. Most of the ones still alive were distant relatives, anyway. And her father didn't have family that would claim him or Echo.

All she had were strangers who treated her father's funeral more like a party, and her stepmother. Blaire Rosin wasn't blood, nor did she really know her.

She didn't belong.

Echo felt claustrophobic as she pushed her way toward the exit to the patio, reality crashing down on her with a vengeance.

'No! This doesn't happen to me anymore. Dammit! Not now.'

She knew she was having a panic attack, and Echo was helpless to stop the encroaching fear that was manifesting within her body, causing physical symptoms she couldn't control. It had been a long time since she'd experienced a full-blown panic attack, but she knew she'd never forget exactly how it felt, and she recognized the frightening symptoms of her anxiety because she'd been in that state before.

"I have to calm myself down." Echo huffed as she stumbled away from the patio and down toward the water. The welcoming darkness beyond the lights of the mansion and the veranda beckoned her to keep moving forward until she could completely escape.

Eli Sullivan had never been a dad to Echo, but at least he'd been living and helping her get through college. Now, she was truly and completely alone.

Echo sat down when she arrived at the Rosin dock, not only because she couldn't go any farther without ending up in the lake, but because she was shaking too hard to continue. In the back of her mind, she acknowledged that she'd lost her low black heels on her journey to the water, but she didn't care.

All she wanted was control over her physical self. Echo hated the helplessness that came with knowing she wasn't in control of her body. She gulped for air as she heard the water hitting the dock all around her. It wasn't the first time Echo had experienced a panic attack, but every one of them was still terrifying.

Since it had been a long time since she'd experienced her last physical episode, she'd thought they'd disappeared forever. She was wrong. Echo's body wasn't her own as she stared into the darkness, her heart racing, her vision still unclear, and her breathing ragged.

Echo should be used to the short periods of losing control. It had started when her mother had died suddenly over four years ago, and over time, her attacks had settled down with the use of medication and the low cost therapy Echo had sought out in Seattle. But during the last couple of days, she'd suffered through her fear and stress alone, and her body was using the protective mechanism that would release that tension.

"Breathe. Just breathe." She focused on simply getting air in and out of her lungs at a deeper and slower pace, like she'd been taught. Echo consciously tried to relax every taut muscle while she continued to suck on the salt air around her.

Slowly, her body started to return to normal function, and her vision began to come back into focus. Echo's heartrate decelerated after a few minutes, and she began to relax after she'd stopped trying to fight her attack, which only made things worse.

The reality of her father's death was finally hitting Echo hard, and she allowed herself to feel every emotion now that the episode was subsiding.

Echo let herself fall gently backward, and she laid on the wooden surface, feeling completely wiped out. She always felt that way after her own body had chewed her up and spit her out. She sobbed out all of her loneliness as she finally felt the pain of being alone in the world, instead of keeping it all inside her tense frame for the last several days. No one could see her, nor did anybody care if she was scared and heartbroken.

Echo curled up in a fetal position, not feeling the slight chill of the salty breeze while she was swamped with sadness. Maybe she was only mourning the relationship that she didn't have with her dad, but mostly, she just felt like an outsider in a world where everybody had somebody… except her.

Echo finally sat up in the darkness, lulled by the lapping of the waters against the dock. "I have friends. And I have Rachel." She said firmly, trying to cease her stupid pity party. "I'll be fine. I'm not really alone."

Maybe she hadn't made very many new friends in Seattle, but she still kept in touch with her childhood best friend in Arizona, and Echo planned on seeing her as soon as possible. She'd wanted to get done with the funeral before they met up.

Echo sighed. Rachel had wanted to be there for her today, but she had a boss who was a major jerk, and she hadn't been able to get out of working unless she quit. And there was no way Echo was going to allow that to happen to her.

She stumbled to her feet after an unknown period of time rocking herself to the rhythm of the waves hitting against the wooden structure. Part of her hated herself for giving in to her emotions. No matter how she felt inside, she'd learned to hide the negative, sad stuff away. Echo kept her head up like her mom had taught her to do, and relied on her own intelligence to get by.

"I might be inelegant in social situations, but I'm gifted in other ways. I need to get a grip. I've taken care of myself without relatives. I've never really had a father anyway, right?" She looked further into the darkness. "It's just a bad day." She muttered.

Her stockings were torn to hell, and she had her doubts that she'd find her shoes in the darkness of the lawn. She just needed to move her ass and look for them. If she went back the way she'd come, she'd probably trip over them.

Echo's stance wasn't quite stable. She'd had a few too many glasses of alcohol, and that liquid courage may have very well been the trigger for her meltdown. Panic attacks and alcohol didn't mix well it seems.

Honestly, she wasn't quite sure how she'd made her way to the water as she stared back at the Rosin mansion in the distance. As always, the actions that had occurred during the height of her attack were blurred.

"It doesn't matter." Echo muttered into the blackness of the night.

She didn't really need to find her shoes. She would leave from there and make her way back to her motel. She had no reason to stop back inside. She didn't belong in that group of guests anyway. Other than her stepmother and Erwin, she knew nobody, and she didn't need to say goodbye to them. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to them. She just didn't know how.

Echo smoothed down the black dress she was wearing with shaky hands. It was nothing fancy, but she liked the fact that it had two pockets that carried her ID, older cell phone, and a small amount of cash for her cab ride back to her motel.

She just needed to leave, and get the hell out of there. She knew she'd feel a thousand times better once she could get away and back to her current software project. Echo could lose herself in the world of technology, and not think about how much she wanted somewhere to belong.

She stepped carefully down the dock, tears still pouring down her face as she brushed past the boathouse, and then hesitated to feel around with her foot. There was probably some kind of uneven ground between the dock and the lawn, and she didn't want to fall on her face.

"I'll be okay alone. I'll make it. I always have." She said out loud, as though saying those words would make everything better.

Echo wasn't prepared when she felt herself being pulled into the boathouse, so she didn't have time to scream as the door slammed closed behind her, a hand clapped over her mouth.

"You're not alone."

* * *

BlueMoon Goddess: Well, what did you guys think of the first chapter? I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. I should have the next chapter up within a few weeks, or I might update the next one earlier if I get enough reviews.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by Lane Parker. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

'What the hell?' Echo was submerged into profound darkness that terrified the hell out of her. Not to mention a guy had his hand over her mouth, so yea, she was freaking out.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Do you understand that?" A husky, low voice said into Echo's ear as she was pulled against a very solid, firm male body.

Even though the voice was harsh, she didn't sense a single bit of malice or insanity in his tone. Her panic attack had left her slightly dazed and confused, but she would've struggled if she had detected any roughness in his hold. Or maybe she was just delusional from all the champagne she'd consumed at the mansion, and she'd lost her ability to perceive danger. Either way she had no desire to fight. His arms were gentle and his voice held her captive.

Echo nodded slowly, even though it was too dark for him to see it. But he must have felt her agreement because he removed his hand from her mouth. Her back was plastered against his front and she felt a tiny twinge of pleasure as his mouth explored the tender skin underneath her ear.

She could feel his warm breath on the sensitive skin of her neck and she involuntary shuddered. "What do you want?" Echo rasped. "Who are you?"

"My only purpose right now is to make you feel better. I don't like seeing you cry." He answered hoarsely. "You're not alone, Echo."

She was momentarily stunned that he knew her name. Had this man been at the party going on at the mansion? She assumed he had been since he knew who she was. Who else would know her name? Other than old friends, nobody knew her there in Arizona anymore.

Echo shivered as his hands traveled up the material of her plain black dress and came to rest on her very average-sized breasts. She knew she shouldn't be letting a stranger feel her up, but God, his touch was like magic.

"You're not wearing anything underneath this dress." The voice said, disapprovingly.

Okay, Echo kind of found it humorous that some unknown male didn't like the fact that she wasn't sporting a bra. "I don't need to. It's not like I have that much to hold up."

Actually, she'd hesitated to shuck her bra when she'd gotten ready for the funeral services, but the dress had patches of lace at the shoulders, and she hadn't had a black bra to wear under it. In the end, she'd taken it off. It wasn't like anybody would notice that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

Or so Echo had thought…

The mystery man squeezed the globes gently and then traced her nipples through the light material of her dress. "They're perfect. You're perfect." He said, sounding like he actually liked the small handful he was groping.

Echo's body reacted to him, her nipples hardening under his ministrations. She was slightly uncomfortable since her body had never reacted with any sexual volatility. "I have to go." She said, the words coming out in a whimper she'd never heard herself use before.

"You don't have to be alone right now, Echo." He coaxed, his hands moving down her body.

"I don't even know you." She argued.

"Does it matter?" He asked, his hands moving down her belly. "Let go and let me fuck you until you don't care about anything else. I want to hear you come. I want you to know that for right now, somebody who cares is here with you. And I can give you pleasure instead of pain."

Very few people in the world cared about her, but God, she really wanted to believe that this man did. Echo felt him slide the zipper of her dress down and she knew she should fight him off, but she was mesmerized by the sound of his urgent voice. Nobody had ever wanted her, and she'd definitely never been desired like this. Not that Echo equated sex with caring. She wasn't exactly naïve, but he felt so good that the lines could almost blur. She was so very tempted to let him do anything he wanted in the cover of darkness.

Would it matter?

Just once, she wanted to feel connected to someone, even if it didn't last.

Echo could temporarily escape from the emptiness that threatened to consume her if she just allowed herself to do something crazy and spontaneous. But she wasn't a live-in-the-moment type of woman. Though maybe she could be just for tonight.

"I'm not all that desirable." She said, tremulously. "I'm not much of a looker, and I don't have much up top. You've felt them for yourself."

"I know what you look like." He shared. "My dick is already hard because I can't stop thinking about taking you. I love your body, Echo."

Obviously, he'd seen her at the reception, but his reaction was confusing. "Nobody wants me." She said, her vulnerability and the alcohol she'd swilled down making the words fly out of her mouth without checking them first.

He swiped at her cheeks blindly to brush away the errant tears. "I do." He answered gruffly, his tender touch belying the harshness of his voice. "I love every single soft curve, and your breasts are perfect."

Echo's body melted as her dress fell away, and his hands traced the bare skin of every curve he presumably adored. It was completely dark, so she knew he couldn't see what he was touching. The lack of any illumination was an aphrodisiac to her.

Nobody knew.

Nobody could see her.

All she had to do was let this stranger continue to make her body thrum with pleasure while he explored.

He stepped back, and she could hear the rustling of his clothes. When he pulled her body into his, all Echo could feel was the meeting of their bare skin, and her womanly core flooded with heat. He still had his pants on, but she could feel his burgeoning hardness against her lower back. God, he felt good. Their skin collided like she was supposed to be exactly where she was at the moment.

There was a sense of rightness in the encounter that Echo couldn't ignore. She turned in his arms, and he let her press against his lean torso. Unfortunately, she couldn't make out his face. The boathouse didn't have any windows, and there was no light from the house that crept into the building.

"Do I know you?" Echo asked, breathlessly.

He answered by grasping her face and lowering his mouth to hers. Every thought flew from her mind except the tantalizing kiss that went on and on. He came up for air, and then swooped down again, every touch of his lips igniting a fire inside her that she couldn't control. His scent was delicious, and the intoxicating, earthy smell of the male who was seducing her made every nerve in her body scream for satisfaction.

Right now. Right here. Everything was good in her world.

Echo wrapped her arms around his neck and she was getting drunker off him than she had from alcohol. She met his tongue in a sensuous duel that she'd never experienced before. He had to be dominant. She could sense it. But his possessive certainty made her even wetter as she pushed back, only to be overwhelmed all over again.

Echo was panting when he finally released her mouth and started exploring the sensitive skin of her shoulders and neck. Tilting her head, she gave him the best access he could get. Her body was starting to crave every single touch of his lips on her skin. She didn't understand any of this, but she was beyond caring. The way he was making her feel was overpowering, and she had no desire to fight it. For some reason, she wasn't afraid. Not even a little.

His hands moved down her body while he continued to explore with his mouth. When his fingers stroked over the sensible cotton of her panties, she let out an audible gasp.

"Feel good?" He asked in a fascinating tone that demanded an answer.

She gave up sanity entirely as she moaned. "Yes."

Echo wanted this unknown alpha male to be invading her everywhere. His touch was addictive, and she had to have him touching her. She sighed in relief as a powerful jerk from him got rid of her panties. They gave under his strength, disappearing from her body, leaving her bare except for her torn, thigh-high stockings. There was only an instant for her to feel vulnerable as she stood naked in the dark building, before a man she didn't know. After that, all Echo knew was pleasure as his fingers stroked over her core, teasing, avoiding anything except light, brief touches on the bundle of nerves that was pulsating with need.

"I need to taste you." He said. "I want to eat this sweet pussy until you scream."

Her body responded to that idea, her nipples tight and core clenching with a desperation she'd never experienced. Having this man's mouth on her sounded like heaven, and she didn't protest as he dropped down, his fingers still meandering sensually over her vulnerable, pink flesh.

"Yes." Echo's mouth formed the word, but no sound left her lips. She reached out for her body's lost support, her hands finding and landing on his lean shoulders.

"Do you like getting dirty?" He asked, huskily.

She'd never been a very sexual female, but right now she felt like the dirtiest woman alive. "No. I've never been dirty." Echo confessed, her voice actually working this time. She had no idea what it was like to be so submerged in passion that she was senseless. "And I'm not a screamer." She told him so shakily.

"You will be." He promised huskily.

Echo's nipples were as hard as diamonds, and aching for something that seemed just out of reach. She lifted her hands to stroke over them, loving the feel of her own fingers pinching her nipples.

She shivered as his hands stroked boldly down her ass, and then gripped her derriere. "Maybe I will scream." Echo agreed, willing to be whatever he wanted if he'd just get her off.

He made an animalistic sound as he took his first taste of Echo's sex, and she moaned aloud as his tongue licked her from bottom to top, noisily lapping up the juices she was excreting from being so damn turned on. His mouth burned, but it was a fire she didn't want to tamp down. She widened her stance, opening herself to him as much as possible as she fisted her hands in his hair. The feel of the straight strands between her fingers heightened her desire, and when his tongue stroked over her precious pearl, swirling in a movement that made Echo's legs quiver beneath her, she nearly collapsed.

"Tell me it feels good." He growled against her quivering flesh.

She started to teeter, but her back made contact with the wooden wall to hold her erect, a solid structure she was grateful for as her body screamed for some kind of relief.

"Too good." Echo moaned. "Please. I need…" Her voice gave out as he latched onto her nub, alternating between swirling licks and small tugs at the sensitive button. The pleasure that coursed through her body was nothing less than mind-blowing.

She let her back rest against the wall, and her head fell back against the hard surface. "Please…" She whimpered, her folds held prisoner by his mouth.

She felt the ripples start in her belly, and a shot went between her thighs with a force she could hardly withstand. She gripped his hair harder, like it was her only lifeline to reality. She was helpless to his marauding tongue as it licked every inch of her sensitive flesh.

"Oh, God. Make me come. Please." She begged. She was beyond being shy. Not with the man who was devouring her like she was some kind of delicious exotic fruit.

Everything was too intense to maintain any kind of sanity. The ferocity of his focus raised the height of her excitement until her whole body was tense with the need to relieve the pressure.

She needed release.

She had to have it.

Echo barely noticed when one of his hands released his grip on her ass, and stealthily submerged itself in her wetness before probing between the cheeks of her ass, never ceasing the firm assault of his tongue on her nub. He was surprisingly gentle as his finger probed her secret door, stimulating nerves she didn't know she had back there. With only the very tip of his finger inside her, Echo knew he was doing it to further heighten her pleasure. If she'd had control of her mind, she would've been startled at the feel of a finger probing her back there, but she was way beyond caring. It felt good, and she wasn't about to protest.

Echo closed her eyes, the pleasure washing over her in waves at the passionate assault to her body. As his tongue lashed at her pearl over and over, stroking it with continual pressure, she felt the pounding force of her climax totally consume her.

Her body shook from the fierceness of her orgasm. "Yes!" She screamed, not caring who would hear her. "Oh, God, yes. Don't stop."

He didn't cease until he'd wrung every shudder from her body. She was surrounded by a steamy, damp darkness of desire that gripped her hard, and then spat her out slowly. She could feel him rise, his fingers still teasing her quivering sex lazily as he stood.

Her legs were barely supporting her, but he gripped her waist to keep her standing. "You taste so fucking good Echo." He said, next to her ear.

His warm breath wafted over her sensitive earlobe, keeping her sensual pleasure heightened, even though she'd just had the most powerful orgasm of her life. It confused her a little that he'd seemed to enjoy the experience as much as she had, but his reaction also turned her on.

"I want to fuck you." He said, with a ferociousness that made Echo's core clench with need. "I want you so far gone that all you can feel is my cock deep inside of you."

She was already his slave. She couldn't imagine feeling more bound to this mystery man.

But Echo knew she was going to experience something she'd never felt before, and her body was more than eager. "Then fuck me." She said, in an urgent voice she'd never used before.

She sounded aroused.

She sounded hungry.

And she was desperate to feel this man inside her, more than she'd ever imagined possible.

"I plan on it." He informed her as she heard the sound of him working to remove his pants.

Echo was nervous, but the moment he took her back into his arms, she relaxed. His delicious masculine scent intoxicating her.

She wanted this.

She wanted him.

And for a brief period of time, she planned on being selfish.

Her body craved him, and as long as she was submerged in the pleasure he could bring her, she wasn't thinking about being alone.

"I'm wearing a condom." He said, gruffly as he brushed what felt like a kiss to her temple.

Echo had been on birth control for two years because of her heavy, painful periods, but she'd never even given a thought to protection. This wasn't her. This wasn't the way she acted. She was a computer geek. She thought about consequences, probably more than the average person. She was overly-cautious most of the time, and she wasn't a sexual creature. But something about the man possessing her made her lose every rational thought she normally would've had.

His hands roamed over her body possessively, making her insides flood with liquid fire all over again. "That's good." She replied, not knowing if she was referring to the fact that he was wearing protection, or if she just loved his hands all over her body.

He kissed her until she was half crazy with the need for him to fuck her.

She felt him squeeze the cheeks of her ass as he said. "Hop up and wrap those beautiful legs around me."

Echo was self-conscious about the request, but she did as he asked. He bore her weight easily, moving until her back was against the wall of the boathouse.

"Dirty girl." He rasped.

Hell, yes. She loved being considered a seductress of some kind. It had never happened before. Her body was plastered against his bare skin, her core lodged against his member. Echo squirmed to get closer to him, rubbing against him like a cat as she felt his engorged length settled against her nub.

She wanted to feel more.

She needed friction.

"You want my cock?" He asked, as he tongued her sensitive earlobe.

"Yes." She said, breathlessly. She wanted to climb inside this powerful man and never come out.

"Then it's yours." He answered in a raspy voice, lifting her hips as he lodged himself inside her with a forceful thrust of his hips.

Echo didn't expect the pain, even though he was big.

"Shit! You're tight, Echo, relax." He instructed, sounding like he was gritting his teeth with frustration.

Echo panted through the discomfort, but she couldn't hide the fact that…

"You're a virgin?" He asked, his body becoming still and tense.

"Yes." She admitted with a whimper.

"Fuck!" He cursed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to stop. And it's not like I've been saving it for somebody special. I just never found a guy who wanted me all that much." She blurted out.

He rested his forehead against hers. "You're my fiery ember, Echo. And I've never wanted somebody more than I want you. But I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." Echo said quickly, afraid he'd pull away. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck.

She was recovering from the pain of losing her V-card, and all she wanted was for him to move. The fit was still tight, and she felt like he was stretching her beyond her limits, but it was starting to hurt so well.

"Stay still." He admonished in a desperate tone when she started rubbing against him.

"I don't think I can." Echo answered honestly, her body restless.

He pulled back and entered her gentler than he had before. "You're so damn tight around me. I can't believe I'm your first."

Echo wriggled her hips, becoming hungry for satisfaction. "Fuck me." She pleaded.

His mouth covered her, his tongue sweeping between her lips like he owned everything he touched, but he was careful and hesitant as his cock began a slow slide in and out of her body.

"More." Echo demanded as her hands fisted in his hair.

"You need my cock, don't you?" He said with a groan.

"Yes." She hissed, her body craving every stroke now.

He nipped at her shoulder as she felt his control slipping. "You're so damn hot, Echo. So needy. I want to be the only man who ever satisfies you."

"You are." She confessed with a moan.

His voice was so commanding that she felt herself respond to his demands. Echo wanted to give this man everything. She couldn't help it. Something told her that the unknown male who was taking her virginity was going to be hard to forget. Their bodies grew slick with sweat as his thrusts began to get harder and more demanding. She welcomed the ferocity. She needed it. It made her feel alive, and so much less alone.

Echo coveted every plunge of his cock, her hips straining to get even closer to him. "I need you." She cried out.

"You have me." He said, huskily.

He shifted positions, his hard shaft brushing against her nub with every forceful entry, sending her close to the edge.

Echo's head banged against the wall again, but she barely noticed it. She was focused on his body, her short fingernails digging into the skin of his upper back. "Please." She screamed. She needed him to send her over the edge.

Finally, he was beginning to pummel into her just like she wanted, and she felt her core spasm with relief. Echo's climax was going to be different this time. Deeper. Harder. It unfurled in her belly and shot to her core with an intensity that she could barely handle. Every nerve in her body seemed to be alive, and she relished the sensation of every spark.

Echo tightened her legs around his hips, making his entries short and deep. Unable to help herself, she screamed as she started to come. His mouth covered her, as though he had to swallow her pleasure and keep it all to himself. He fucked her to the rhythm of his tongue in her mouth, every stroke sweeter than the last.

When he finally lifted his head, Echo knew she was milking him to a hot release. He buried himself to his balls as he groaned. "Echo. My fiery ember. You're so damn sweet."

She couldn't see him, but she could hear his harsh breathing as they both tried to recover from the heady climax that had just taken their bodies.

Echo put her head on his shoulder as she sucked air into her lungs. God, how had she never known sex could be that good? "That was incredible." She said, in a hushed voice. "How did I not know how good it would feel?"

He backed up and let her lower her legs. Luckily, he still held her up. She wasn't at all certain her wobbly limbs would hold her up.

The man stroked a comforting hand up and down her back, cradling her in his arms like she was some kind of treasure. "I can't believe you were still a virgin." He rumbled.

"I'm not anymore." She said, completely happy with her ruined state.

"You should have told me before I took you." He said.

"Would you have stopped?"

"…I don't know." He answered honestly. "But I would have made it better for you."

Echo wasn't sure how that could happen. "It was good." She answered simply. It had been more than good, but she didn't know how to explain to him exactly how she felt. Every cell in her body was still humming with excitement, and her heart was galloping inside her chest.

"Only good?" He asked with wicked humor in his tone.

"Maybe more." Echo considered, teasing him.

He was silent, but his hand was still stroking her back. It was a few minutes before he asked, "Were you headed home?"

For some reason, she didn't really want to tell him that she really didn't have a home.

"Yes. I can't go back into the house. I don't know anybody there, and I just want to get back to my motel. I honestly don't know where home is anymore." She said wistfully.

"Everything will be okay, Echo. I promise." He said in a hoarse tone. "Maybe you can't see it right now, but you're never alone."

"Do I know you?" She asked once again, her heart still racing faster than it should. She wanted to know who had taken her virginity, even if she never saw him again.

"Do me a favor?" He asked.

"What?"

"Don't question what just happened. Don't ever second-guess yourself."

"I won't." Echo promised. "I could never regret what just happened. Well, not unless you're married. Or have a woman in your life."

His fingers pressed against her lips, silencing her. "Don't." He said roughly.

She stopped talking, but her body protested as his warm bulk stepped away. She could hear the rustle of his clothing as he was getting dressed. Echo startled as he lifted her arms and put her dress over her head. She fumbled with the arm holes, but she managed. She heard the zipper go up as he secured it. It wasn't difficult to tell that he wanted to keep everything a mystery, and maybe she wanted the same thing. If she found out that he was married, or that he was a cheating bastard, it would ruin every bit of pleasure she'd just experienced.

'Maybe I'm better off not knowing the truth.' She thought, silently. She felt vulnerable, raw, and exhausted. She wasn't sure her brain could even process anything more at the moment.

"Wait a few minutes before you leave." He instructed.

"Okay." She agreed. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked.

"For making me not feel so alone for a little while."

He kissed her gently before he said. "Think about me if you feel alone. Fuck knows I'll always be thinking about you."

Echo sighed as he slipped out, and he was nothing more than a shadow as he closed the door firmly behind him.

She slumped against the wall, waiting. She felt naked without her panties, and she groped for a light, finally finding it close to the door, and she flipped the switch.

Her underwear was nowhere in sight.

Not that they'd probably do much for her, anyway. She was certain they'd been torn when they'd left her body, but she was desperate not to feel so damn naked.

Echo's eyes scanned the small building. It was neat and tidy, but filled with almost everything a person who lived near the water could want to enjoy. There was a speedboat docked near another large door that obviously opened electronically to get the watercraft in and out of the enclosure.

Jet skis…check.

Water skies…check.

Paddle boards…check.

Tons of life jackets…check.

Fishing equipment…check.

The building was completely full of toys to play with in the ocean.

To Echo, this would always be the place where she'd lost her virginity, but it seemed to otherwise be an innocuous place where people stocked their water gear. She turned back toward the door. She cautiously opened it, and slipped out of the building, nearly tripping over something that had been left just outside the entrance.

Echo smiled as she saw exactly what her obstacles were. Her mystery man had obviously done her one last favor. The black heels that she'd thought were lost forever on her way down to the dock were sitting right outside the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

It took Echo several hours and an entire pot of coffee to get her head straight. Once her inhibitions returned, she was beyond mortified by what she'd done in the boathouse.

"What in the hell had I done?" She said, out loud to the empty room.

She'd arrived back at her motel in a daze, but reality was setting in as she pulled out her laptop after taking a shower. It was the strangest day of her life, and she'd been pretty upset and more than a little drunk, but did that justify screwing an unknown man in a boathouse?

Echo sighed as she leaned back against the headboard in her pajamas, letting her computer rest in her lap without opening it.

She gave her virginity away to a stranger.

Like she'd told her mystery man, it wasn't exactly like she'd been saving it. She wasn't waiting for Mr. Right because she was completely convinced that he didn't exist. She was well aware that she wasn't the type of woman who inspired romance or passion in any guy.

She was shy. Pretty plain looking. Plus she wasn't voluptuous and curvy like most women were. She was an academic overachiever, not a seductress. Echo didn't give in to emotions very often, at least not in a place where anybody could see her do it, and she was basically ruled by logic.

What in the hell had happened to her logical mind earlier? A guy whispered sexy things in her ear, and all of her reason had just fled. Then he touched her and all she'd wanted to do was fuck him.

What had happened a few hours ago just didn't make sense to her, even if she had consumed way more alcohol than she should've. Her buzz was gone, and Echo still knew she'd given in because she'd wanted him. She should've screamed and fought her way out of that boathouse. Truth was, Echo knew he would've let her go if she'd really wanted him to. But she didn't want that.

So now, she was left wondering what kind of man could make her crumble in a moment of passionate weakness. Hell, Echo couldn't believe she even had one of those moments, much less figure out who would want her so badly that they followed her down to the dock. Nobody gave a damn about her for the most part. And no man had ever taken the trouble to care about how she was feeling.

Doubts crept in, as they were bound to do after sharing a mindless screw with a stranger.

"Do I know him?" She questioned, silently. "Was he married or attached to another woman? Most importantly, why did he need to hide who he was?"

Surprisingly, Echo didn't regret her reaction to him. How could she? He'd made her pleasure his priority, and she couldn't imagine a better first experience if she was going to lose her V-card. But she was uneasy with the fact that she didn't even know his name. Whoever it was had to have been at the reception. Echo didn't believe that someone had just been waiting in that boathouse on the off chance that a woman would come there.

"And he knew my name." Echo deduced. She'd started hoping her mystery guy had been Erwin, but her logic took over. He'd never go for a woman like her.

Echo startled when her phone bleeped, signaling a new text message. Thinking it might be her friend Rachel, she picked up the phone to see who it was. The identification wasn't who she expected at all, and seeing the name show up on the text screen after months of silence made her belly do a nervous flip-flop.

**Nameless Hero**.

"This isn't even possible." She said, in a tremulous whisper.

Echo had gotten the iPhone as a graduation gift right before she'd left to go to college. There had been no name attached to the gift, so she'd always assumed it had come from her father. Her mother had just passed away and she'd had nobody else except her dad who would be able to give such an extravagant gift. The phone had already been activated, but there had only been one contact put in.

**Nameless Guy**.

In some ways, Echo had kind of been amused that her father would identify himself as her nameless guy, but it had also been a tiny bit touching that he was making sure she was safe in Arizona.

She'd thought it was some kind of joke between a father and daughter. But the person behind the name had been very real. So real, that instead she had changed it to 'Nameless Hero' because, that was how she saw this guy as. Though, Echo hadn't seen a text from him in a few months, which wasn't unusual, but knowing that somebody was checking in with her had made her feel safer. They didn't have a lot of communication, but she'd hear from him occasionally when he texted about her classes and to ask how things were going in general. The texts had been the only connection she'd had with her father. Or so she thought…

"It's not him. It's not my dad." She said.

Echo stared at the text:

**Nameless Hero:**** How are you? I'm sorry about your father. **

Okay, Echo had to admit, she was a little creeped out as she texted back.

**Echo:**** You're not my father. Who are you?**

**Nameless Hero:**** When did I claim to be your father? **

Her mind was racing, her fingers scrolling through their previous and very brief exchanges. Never! He'd never even hinted that he was her dad. In Echo's mind, there had only been one person he could be and his texts were businesslike, so she'd filled in the blanks herself. And Nameless Hero being her father was the only thing that had ever made sense.

Her body was tense as she answered:

**Echo:**** You didn't, but I assumed the phone and the number was my dad's. **

"Who are you?" She whispered aloud. "And why have you been checking on me for the last four years if you aren't my father?"

**Nameless Hero:**** I'm sorry you were confused. I never meant for you to think that I was your father. **

**Echo:**** Was the phone a gift from you?**

**Nameless Hero:**** Yes.**

**Echo:**** WHO ARE YOU?**

She was getting pretty damn tired of mysteries and the whole idea of her mysterious hero not being a concerned father was more than a little frightening. Especially when she was newly all alone in the world.

**Nameless Hero:**** I'm somebody who cares what happens to you. **

Angry tears rolled down her cheeks as she wrote back: **Echo:**** Nobody cares that much about me. Please stop texting me. **

**Nameless Hero:**** Okay. Right after you answer my question. **

He'd asked if she was okay. And no, she wasn't doing well, but Echo wasn't about to tell him that she definitely wasn't okay. She was angry, as well as letdown. She'd just found out that her father hadn't even cared enough to make even a causal connection with her. And she was mourning a father who had never been there for her except to pay her college bills. Maybe she'd been stupid to hang on to one stupid connection like text messages, but it had been all she had.

"I'll still make it." Echo said, fiercely. "I don't need Eli. I can work and go to school." She was angry at her late father…hell, she was livid with herself. She'd have to change her plans, but nobody except her could stand in the way of reaching her goals. Echo just needed to suck it up and move on in a different direction.

"I'm a survivor. I always have been." After giving herself a pep talk, she texted again.

**Echo:**** I'm fine. Please go away. **

She was scared, and she didn't want to see a reminder of how little her dad had cared about her.

**Nameless Hero:**** Don't delete my number. Keep it. I'll be here if you need me, but I won't approach you again. **

She'd already been into her contacts to delete him, but she hesitated.

"Could my stalker be Erwin? Had he felt the urge to watch over me because he was friends with Blaire?" Echo's mind was reeling as she put her phone down on the bed and climbed underneath the covers.

Erwin had been so sweet to her, even though they barely knew each other. Echo was pretty sure, if he was her Nameless Hero, he was motivated by guilt, but he had no reason to feel guilty. They weren't family and they barely knew each other, so he owed absolutely nothing to her.

Echo fell asleep still running through the people she'd known in high school who could've given her the phone as a gift. It was a short list.

Even after she was rested, and had her head on straighter than she had for the funeral, she still hadn't been able to delete Nameless Hero's contact. Maybe because she felt like he was her one connection to somebody who cared.

* * *

Echo's immediate need for permanent, full-time employment and a place to live kept her in Arizona. If she was coming home, she had to find work and a less expensive place to live than she had in Seattle. Her roommate had kindly offered to send her things, and her boss at the bar had let her go without giving notice due to the circumstances. She didn't know if she'd go back for graduation. They could send her diploma and she had more urgent things to worry about.

Echo let out a sigh as she packed the meager belongings she'd brought with her. She didn't have much. She never had.

Even though she'd saved as much as possible, her bank account was pathetic. Her father had paid her education costs, her share of the rent, plus an allowance that went into her account every month. But Echo had needed counseling to help control her panic attacks. Even though she'd found a low cost clinic, it had still been a lot of money to dish out for a student. So she hadn't had much extra money, even though she was frugal. Her job at the bar had brought in extra cash, and she banked it faithfully, always afraid that her father's support would suddenly disappear.

And it had…Echo just hadn't imagined it would be because he died.

She looked around the motel room, mentally bidding the place goodbye. Not that she wasn't okay with leaving because the place was a cheap dive, but the situation she was entering was pretty uncertain.

"I'll find my own place." Echo said, confidentially.

Erwin had insisted that she took the guest house at his colleague and friend, Levi Ackerman's house, letting her know that he was out of the country for a few weeks, and the guest house was furnished and private. She'd finally relented, but only if she was allowed to pay some kind of compensation for the place once she got on her feet. Erwin had blown off Echo's concerns, but she planned on taking it up with Levi when he got back from wherever he was traveling.

They barely knew each other, and the last thing she wanted was to be a burden on those two, even if they could easily afford it. She felt like the poor, distant relative who could never support herself, and that was going to end…just as soon as she found a job.

"You ready?" Erwin asked, from the door of her motel room. She'd left it open for him.

Echo turned, unable to not be mesmerized by the perfection of Erwin Smith. God, he was beautiful. Every inch of him. Her heart skittered at the way his jeans and T-shirt clung to his muscular body. In casual clothing, he seemed more approachable, but he was still way out of her league.

His expression turned serious. "Are you okay?"

She thought about the words of her Nameless Hero, and it didn't escape her that Erwin was asking the same question her nameless guy had asked in his last text. But it was a pretty common question.

Echo shrugged. "I'll live. I just have a lot of things to do." She turned around again to close up her suitcase. Things were always better when she wasn't looking directly at Erwin. He was way too gorgeous, and she seemed to lose her words when she stared at him.

"If I had a guest house, you could stay in mine." He said. "But I never bothered with building one. And I'm pretty sure that Levi only built one for occasional guests for business."

"Thanks." She said, in a rush. Honestly, she was craving privacy so she could continue to lick her wounds in peace for a few more days. But she had to find a job.

Survival over emotion—always for her. She didn't function any other way.

Erwin had already offered to open his house to her, and she'd refused his generous offer. Levi's guest house had been so much more appealing. Not that she didn't want to stay with Erwin and hope that he wandered around naked in his house, but being in the same home would turn out awkward, and she was the queen of feeling displaced.

"I'm hoping I won't need it for long." Echo said, embarrassed already about the fact that she had nowhere to go. "I don't want to put anybody out."

"Nonsense, Echo." Erwin said, as he moved forward to grab her suitcase. "Even though we haven't known each other long, I consider you a friend. I just wish you'd consider my offer to put you through any advanced degree you want."

"No!" Echo's answer came out less grateful than it should've sounded. She appreciated his willingness to help, but she'd been taking care of herself since her mom had passed away, and she had to stand on her own two feet now that she had her degree.

"But—" Erwin started to say.

Echo interrupted, knowing he was going to start pushing again. "We're not related, you're my stepmother's friend. We've seen each other only a few times." She said sharply, as she turned around again. "Please don't make it sound like we're family or something."

He grinned. "Sometimes I think it's better to pick our own families rather than inheriting them."

"I'd be the last one to argue with you about that." She answered dryly, as she followed him outside.

Echo dropped her room key in a drop box and hustled to his car. She'd already paid the bill for her room, and it had definitely made a dent in her savings. Really, she had no choice at the moment about whether or not she took help from Erwin. If she didn't, Echo could've taken Rachel up on her offer of a place to stay. Her best friend from high school and she had remained close, but Rachel was still struggling through some personal losses with her own career. There was no way Echo could be a burden to her right now. She didn't have that many friends, and she didn't want to cause any strain on her.

Erwin opened the door of his Audi R8, and Echo slipped carefully into the passenger seat and secured the seatbelt. She hardly moved as he drove to Levi's home. Cars that costed more than some people's homes obviously made her nervous.

The drive was an hour long since Levi's house was located in Tucson. She hadn't been there for years. Echo had so many good memories of time spent near Kennedy Lake catching fish and seeing the waterfalls in Tanque Verde. Knowing that she would live there temporarily would be good for her, the peace of being back there could help her heal the gaping wound that had opened up since her father had passed. Besides, any location was going to be a challenge since she didn't own a vehicle.

Echo just hopped out of the car as soon as they'd arrived at Levi's address. "Wow." She said, out loud before she could check her response when Erwin unlocked and opened the door of the guest residence.

The guest house was nothing short of stunning, but as she stood at the door Erwin had opened, she could see it was decorated in more upbeat, beachier colors than Blaire's home. The Rosin mansion was elegant, but the heavier themes of gold and mahogany had been intimidating and showy. Levi's guest house was beautiful…but meant to be a relaxed decor.

Echo stepped into the kitchen, admiring the contemporary white shaker cabinets, and the stainless steel appliances. The granite was a lovely black and white that kept the room light and airy.

"Check out the bedrooms and see which one you want." Erwin requested, as he came through the door with her suitcase.

"Okay." She stopped gawking at the light aqua walls of the kitchen and the living room to hurry down the hall and into the bedrooms.

All three of the bedrooms were masters with an en suite, but she was drawn to the happy, creamy yellow one with its own patio and an amazing view of the surrounding area.

Erwin hefted her suitcase onto a cozy armchair. "The place is kind of small." He observed.

A laugh escaped from Echo's lips. "This house is at least ten times the size of the apartment Mom and I had."

She'd grown up in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Scottsdale, with a kitchen so small that her and her mother couldn't cook in the room at the same time. The guest house looked like a palace to her.

"There's a key to the main house in the kitchen if you start feeling claustrophobic. It opens the pool area and hot tub, too."

Echo turned around to look at him. "I'm not exactly a guest, Erwin. I'm pretty much a freeloader. So I don't plan on using anything else except the house."

He smiled. "Use the pool and the hot tub. It might help you relax for awhile. Levi doesn't mind. He told me to show you where the keys were, and the controller for the garage. He has a Jeep in the guest house garage, and it sits there unused unless he has a guest with no car. I'm pretty sure that's never happened, but Levi covers all of his bases."

"I can't use his car." She protested.

"How do you plan on getting anywhere?" He asked. "We aren't close to the grocery stores or anything else for that matter."

Echo sighed, remembering that most of the area was residential, and Levi had a fairly big chunk of land. "You're right. I might have to use it." She agreed grudgingly, realizing that she was going to need a store, and to get around to secure a job.

"Go ahead and get settled. I have to go to a meeting, and I'll come back to check on you when I'm done." He said.

"I've been alone most of my life." She explained. "You don't have to run back over here again. I've been to Tucson, and I know my way around the area."

Even when she'd had her mom, she hadn't seen her that often. She had worked hard to make sure they could cover their expenses, and as soon as Echo had turned sixteen, she'd gotten a job at the local market bagging groceries for her last two years of high school. She was used to fending for herself.

Erwin frowned, which was an unusual expression for him. "You're going through a lot of changes. I want to help you."

Echo's heart clenched. For someone who barely knew her, Erwin was very kind to her. Wish she could say the same thing about her father. "You have helped me. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He acknowledged. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."

She opened her mouth to tell him he could just call her, but she closed it again. "I can make dinner." Echo offered. She might not have a lot of money, but she could cook.

"No way am I going to refuse a home-cooked dinner." He agreed enthusiastically. "I'm not much of a cook."

He left after he showed her where the keys and the garage door opener were located, and she was both relieved and lonely after he'd gone.

* * *

BlueMoon Goddess: I'm glad some of you are enjoying the story! We still have a long way to go before the plot picks up, but don't worry, some more Erwin and Echo scenes will come, and even some other characters as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

"Erwin is smoking hot." Rachel considered, as she sat at the kitchen table of Echo's temporary housing drinking her latte, and popping chocolate covered caramels into her mouth.

Echo looked at Rachel from her seat across the table. Her best friend Rachel was everything she wasn't, and maybe they shouldn't have ever been friends because they were so different, but for some reason, they'd connected in grade school and had been close ever since.

Rachel was graceful, a beautiful young woman with caramel colored hair with hazel-green eyes, delicate features and a slim, perfectly toned body. She'd been a ballet dancer almost all her life. Even during grade school, she'd lived to dance. Unfortunately, an injury had just ended her career, and she'd returned to Arizona from New York City several months ago to get her head together.

Echo hurt so badly for her. Rachel had dreamed of being a ballerina all her life, and that goal she had worked so hard for was now crushed. Her spirit seemed broken now.

Rachel had called soon after Erwin had left, and Echo had invited her to drop over. She'd offered to pick her up some groceries, items Echo had paid her for as soon as she'd arrived. She'd been grateful. Probably the less she drove a car that wasn't hers the better.

Since Erwin had texted that he'd be later than expected, Echo had plenty of time to cook dinner. She snatched another candy out of the bag that Rachel had brought and devoured it in one swallow. Not only had her best friend stopped at the grocery store, but she'd come with a bag of specialty candy and lattes that she'd purchased from their favorite candy store in Scottsdale.

Years ago, Rachel wouldn't eat more than one piece of the chocolate. Even as a child, she'd had to watch her diet. So it was a surprise to see her chowing down on the bag of sweets.

"Erwin is really attractive." Echo finally agreed. "But let's face it, a woman like me doesn't even dream about a gorgeous billionaire like him. I think he's feeling sorry for me because I lost my father."

Rachel frowned. "There's nothing wrong with you, Ec. You're adorable, you're smart, and any guy would have to be crazy not to want to be with you."

Echo pulled a face. "You always say that."

"Because it's true."

"Rach, I screwed a total stranger and let him take my V-card just because it felt good. What kind of woman does that make me?" She'd filled her in on some of the crazy things that had happened over the last few days.

"A smart one?" She guessed with a smile. "Because really, who wants to lose her virginity when it doesn't feel good?"

Echo ignored her levity. "And let's not forget I have someone stalking me."

"Now that's a real mystery." Rachel said, excitedly.

"A scary one."

Rachel took a sip of her latte before saying, "Honestly, if whoever it is wanted to hurt you, don't you think they would have done it years ago? It's not like they've actually shown up at your door."

Admittedly, Echo might've overreacted with her nameless guy. "I guess the realization that it wasn't my father just hit me at the wrong time. I've been trying to figure out who else it could be. I got the phone as a gift here, before I left Arizona."

"Well, you can count me out." Rachel said, dryly. "I had your phone number if I wanted to call you. What about Jean?"

Echo stopped eating candy for a minute, long enough to give her a confused look. "Who?"

"That guy from the grocery store who liked you back in high school?"

It took her a moment, but she realized who Rachel was talking about. Jean Kristein had been a co-worker of hers and they'd both graduated from the same high school. Other than that, she'd barely known him. "He didn't like me. We just worked in the same place."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "He had a crush on you, Ec. I saw the way he looked at you."

Most likely, Jean had been trying to figure out how he could get Echo to help him with his science class since they'd been lab partners for a while. "It's not him." She answered.

"Then maybe it's really Erwin." Rachel suggested. "Did you ever think that Nameless Hero and your mysterious virginity taker could be the same person?"

Echo hadn't connected the two because, until yesterday, she'd thought that Nameless Hero was her father doing occasional checks on her welfare in college. "No." She answered. "I thought Nameless was my dad."

"Well maybe you should think about it." Rachel said. "And since your nameless guy has never really approached you, maybe you should try to pry some information out of him. You can only talk to somebody so long without making a mistake and telling the other person something about your personal life."

Echo shrugged. "I don't even know if it's a male or female."

"Then just ask. What does it matter if you text as long as you don't sext. This person has obviously known where you were for years. I think they're telling the truth. I don't think the mystery person means you any harm. If they had wanted to find you, they would've by now."

Echo shrugged. "I was a little freaked out when I saw a text after the funeral."

Rachel nodded. "Understandable since you thought your nameless person was your dead father. It would've creeped me out, too. I'm so sorry, Ec. I wish you could've finished school before something happened."

"It's not just school." Echo confessed. "My father was my last living relative, and now he's dead. I guess I'm just feeling…lost."

"I get that." Her friend said, gently. "But Ec, he was never a father to you."

"I know. I've told myself that a million times, but everything just seems so final. I can't say that I loved him. I think I'm just aware that the possibility of ever having anyone is gone now." Realistically, the possibility of her father ever changing and deciding he wanted to know his only daughter had been pretty slim anyway.

Rachel rose to her feet and came around the table to hug her. Echo got up and threw her arms around her friend, relishing the sensation of being surrounded by love and empathy for a moment.

As she finally let go of her best friend, she asked, "What about you? How are things going?"

Rachel looked at her, her eyes suddenly growing haunted. "I'm okay. It's going to take a while for me to deal with the fact that my dream is no longer a possibility."

"Then you'll find a new one." Echo told her. "You put your heart into dancing for so long that you've just never had time to find other things you want to do with your life."

She nodded. "I know. And I've always known that my career in ballet wasn't going to last forever. We ballerinas have a short shelf life." She joked. "But I had hoped I could leave my company with a long career under my belt. Maybe become a teacher or a choreographer."

Echo watched as Rachel picked up her purse from the table and put it across her body, wishing that she could help her somehow.

Rachel turned around with a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Let's do breakfast tomorrow, and then I can head to work and you can start your job search."

They made arrangements to meet in a diner early the next morning, and Rachel left. Echo closed the door behind her, and walked into the kitchen. After sitting down in the same chair she'd just left a few minutes ago, she picked up her cell phone from the table.

As she scrolled through her conversations with Nameless Hero, she realized how very caring and brief their communications had always been.

"Who are you?" Echo whispered. "And what do you want?"

Nameless had never asked for anything except an answer to whether or not she was doing okay.

Before she lost her nerve, she typed: **Echo:**** If you aren't my father, then who are you?**

Echo's heart tripped as she saw the message go from delivered to read, and the little dots started to move across the bottom of the screen. He'd looked at the question immediately, and he was answering.

**Nameless Hero:**** I already told you. I'm just somebody who cares. I never meant to scare you or make you upset. **

**Echo:**** I have no family anymore, so I take it you're saying you're a friend?**

**Nameless Hero:**** Yes. I hope so. **

**Echo:**** Do you know how totally weird this is? You obviously know who I am, but I don't even know if you're male or female. You're a stranger to me. **

**Nameless Hero:**** Maybe I always hoped that someday we would get to know each other. **

**Echo:**** Why?**

There was a hesitation before he answered. **Nameless Hero:**** I admire you. I always have. And I'm a male. I'll tell you that much if it makes you feel better. **

**Echo****: ****Honestly, I'm not sure it makes me feel better. **

If her mystery texts were really coming from a guy, then he actually was a stalker, albeit a pretty laid back one. There had been times when she'd only had one line from him in a period of several months.

**Nameless Hero:**** What are you doing right now? **

**Echo:**** Sitting at the kitchen table of a loaner house eating chocolates and drinking a latte. You?**

She wasn't sure why she'd answered his question, but at least he hadn't asked what she was wearing or if she was naked.

**Nameless Hero:**** Just finished a very long, very boring meeting. I have to find some dinner. Did you eat? **

**Echo:**** I'm cooking for a friend.**

There was a long pause, and Echo wondered if he was with somebody.

**Nameless Hero:**** Male or female friend? **

**Echo:**** Male.**

**Nameless Hero:**** Boyfriend? **

**Echo:**** Unfortunately, he's not. He's a friend of my stepmother's. **

It hadn't escaped her notice that her nameless hero was just out of a meeting, and Erwin had claimed to be attending one around this time.

"Could Rachel be right?" Echo thought, out loud. "Could the person I'm talking to actually be Erwin?"

Really, the possibility of him being Erwin Smith was ridiculously slim. Still, she could hope….

**Nameless Hero:**** I'd like to be your friend, my fiery ember. I want you to trust me. **

**Echo:**** Not telling me who you are isn't exactly a great way to inspire trust. **

**Nameless Hero:**** I know. **

Echo stared at the exchange for a moment, until she finally figured out what felt off. Her Nameless Hero had called her fiery ember. Nobody called her that except…

**Echo:**** Were you in the boathouse last night? **

He was either going to be completely baffled about her question or…

**Nameless Hero:**** Yes. **

Echo's hands were shaking as she put the phone back down on the table and stood up, her mind whirling as she tried to understand exactly what that single-word answer really meant. After a moment of trying to get my head together, she realized the answer was really very simple. Maybe she couldn't even begin to contemplate why this crazy shit was happening to her. Maybe she didn't get why this man had to be in the shadows. Maybe she had no idea who this person was, or why he was interested in her. All Echo really knew for sure was that Rachel had been right. Her Nameless Hero and the man who had rocked her world in the boathouse when he'd taken her virginity were one and the same.

"Dammit!" Echo slammed her laptop closed and rose from the kitchen table.

How was it possible that her Nameless Hero could mask his identity so well? She'd been investigating for days, even resorting to some minor hacking, and she couldn't come up with a damn thing about his identity. Every road she'd followed led to…nothing.

His phone number was untraceable, so Echo couldn't get a name. Unless she wanted to cause a major security breach on some well-known websites, there was no way Echo was going to be able to get nameless' name. And she wasn't about to get arrested and ruin her career before it even started just because her curiosity was killing her.

Echo opened the refrigerator and grabbed an apple, even though she definitely wanted a doughnut or two from her favorite bakery.

"Not happening." She said to herself, right before she took a huge bite out of the fruit.

She was determined to not indulge in junk food. During her college days, she'd gained the dreaded freshman fifteen, and then some, during her bachelor's program. Luckily, she was able get back to her normal size and trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. She was entering a new chapter in her life, and she didn't want to start it by gaining more weight from her stress eating. She was going through comfort food withdrawals, but Echo had made it through the first week. Maybe it would get easier, but it seemed like she was fighting the desire to eat every hour of every day.

Her job search wasn't producing interviews yet, even though she'd applied for almost any position available. But to be a programmer, companies wanted some kind of experience, and she had none. So Echo had also applied to every open cocktail waitress job in the area since her only real experience was bagging groceries or waiting tables in a bar. She had to get some kind of employment since her funds were dwindling, and she wasn't even paying rent yet.

She'd never be able to afford to pay a fair rent on the guest house she was using. And even though Erwin kept reminding her that it was alright, she wasn't, and she felt like she was taking advantage of his generosity. He had been amazing about helping her over the last week since her dad's funeral. She talked to him almost every day, and he'd dropped over for dinner twice in the last seven days.

By process of elimination, Erwin was Echo's only suspect for men who could be her Nameless Hero. She'd crossed everyone off the list except him. There were a few men who had known and respected her mother, but one of them had passed away soon after her mother had, and the others were either bald, overweight, or way too short to be the man who had taken her virginity. Her mystery man had an incredibly powerful body, and she'd felt tiny in comparison.

Erwin's body was perfect, and it fit the description of her mystery man. But it didn't make sense. He wasn't married or involved. So why would he need to hide the fact that he'd been checking on her for years, and that he still cared what happened to her? Why would he not say that he'd been the man who had overwhelmed her good sense, and provided the fuel for every sexual fantasy she'd had since that night in the boathouse?

Echo shuddered as she went to her bedroom to put on a pair of black leggings and an oversized shirt so she could go for her run. She couldn't think about the night she'd lost her virginity without wanting to repeat the experience again. Maybe what they'd done had been all wrong, but why had it felt so damn right? Echo craved him like an addictive drug. Now that she knew what it felt like to let go and allow a man to get close to her, she wanted more.

Problem was, Echo couldn't put a name or a face to the guy who had turned her world upside down. That was one of the creepy things about her whole obsession with the guy who had taken her V-card.

"I could text him." She said, to herself.

It wasn't like she hadn't thought about it, but Nameless Hero hadn't texted another word since he'd typed that single yes answer to her question about whether or not he'd been the man in the boathouse. And she hadn't worked up the courage to ask any more questions. She'd desperately wanted to be armed with more information before she confronted him, but her searches had amounted to nothing.

Echo locked the door of the guest house, and then pocketed the key as she made to start her workout. The view that confronted her took her breath away. She had left the budding neighborhood of Tuscan homes to end up near the foothills of the mountains. Echo would always see the Catalina Mountains every time she woke up in the morning from her bedroom window and would spend her evenings having a glass of wine and enjoying the beautiful view as the sun would set behind the mountains.

There was something natural about seeing the grand mountains and endless dessert and greenery from trees and cactuses. Maybe it was all the good memories she had of taking hikes with her mother in the deserts and coming out once it was completely dark and driving out and doing some stargazing. Being in the mountains like this dissolved all the troubles Echo had…at least temporarily, and she was grateful for the reprieve. But she knew it wouldn't last forever.

"Echo?"

She startled at the sound of a male voice saying her name. She'd been so captivated by the serenity of the mountains that she hadn't noticed anyone approaching. The area of the mountains she was in wasn't accessed to the public, so Echo was surprised that there was anyone else was there at all. She hadn't met up with a single person on her daily runs, and she'd had the area all to herself.

Echo scrambled to her feet and stared at the male in front of her. "Yes?"

She took his measure as she tried to get used to the fact that she wasn't alone on the mountains. She shaded her eyes because she hadn't brought a pair of sunglasses. He was tall, she deduced he was 6'2. He had a muscular build and had gray hair that reached the nape of his neck. And he was grinning at her like he knew who she was. Honestly, he looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place the face.

"You don't remember me." He said, with a small grin.

The man appeared to be about Echo's age, but she shook her head.

"Jean Kirstein." He prompted. "We worked together at the grocery store in Scottsdale."

It was the Jean that Rachel said had a crush on Echo in high school. The lightbulb went off, and she remembered the time she'd spent with him in what seemed like eons ago. Echo couldn't say they'd actually been friends, but they weren't strangers, either.

Echo put her hand out. "Oh, my God. I'm so sorry." She said, remorsefully. "I'm a little distracted. It's nice to see you again."

And really, it was nice to see him. Maybe it was the way he was smiling at her right now, or how nicely he'd matured, but it felt good to see anybody who actually remembered her.

He took her hand and shook it, holding it just a little bit longer than necessary as he said. "Your Dad died. If that happened to me, I'd be braindead, too."

Echo looked at him in surprise as she took her hand back. "You know about that?"

"Of course. I saw it in the local paper. I even came to the reception at the Rosin's, but you were already gone. I'm so sorry, Echo."

She nodded, trying to remain composed. "You came to the reception?"

"I wanted to see you and pay my respects. It's been a while."

She smiled back at him hesitantly. "Thanks."

It was kind of touching that Jean had bothered. It wasn't like they'd been great friends in high school. They'd had a few of the same classes, and she'd seen him at the market because they'd usually worked the same shift. But outside of that, they hadn't had any interaction.

"How are you doing?" He asked, his voice sincere.

Echo put her hands in the pockets of her leggings. "Okay." She answered. "What are you doing here? I thought you went off to play college lacrosse."

"I did." He confirmed. "But I got injured in my sophomore year. Badly enough that I'd never played again. So I dropped out of college and came back to work with my dad."

She looked at him curiously. "What does he do?"

He chuckled. "He owns the national chain of supermarkets that you worked in during high school. I thought everybody knew. I was the rich kid who was working as a bagger to get some experience in the grocery business. My father was pretty adamant that I start at the bottom."

"I didn't know." She confessed.

Echo had actually known very little about Jean except for the fact that he was pleasant enough to work with, and that he wasn't very good at chemistry because she'd had to carry him through the labs. She'd been too busy trying to survive to get into anybody else's business.

He shrugged. "That's okay. I didn't exactly broadcast the fact that I was the owner's son."

Now that she knew the truth, Echo respected him for that. He'd always pulled his weight, and worked as hard as anyone else at the store. "So what are you doing in Tuscan?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He joked. "I saw you heading down from Levi Ackerman's estate. My parent's own the place next door. It's definitely not as grand as Levi's place, but I come down here to jog as often as I can. It's quiet since my parents are moving to Florida. The place is up for sale, but I doubt it will sell anytime soon. I'm pretty much housesitting."

"They're moving?" She asked, curious.

Now that she was taking a closer look at Jean, it was pretty evident that he'd been jogging. He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants, a T-shirt with moisture stains, and a pair of running shoes. The mussed up appearance looked good on him.

"They feel like it's the best time to retire. Plus, they're getting a bit older and want to have something smaller with not a lot of maintenance. " He answered. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, feeling embarrassed. "I'm moving back from Seattle. I have a bachelor's in computer science, so I'm hoping to get a position as a programmer. I'm staying in Levi's guest house until I can find something in Arizona."

"Really?" He said, surprised. "I didn't know you knew him."

"I don't really. But he's good friends with Erwin Smith and Blaire, and Levi said it was alright for me to stay in his guest house until I find a place of my own."

"That's nice of him." Jean replied. "I don't know either one of them well, but my parents hang out with Mrs. Rosin, your stepmother."

It made sense that Jean's parents and her stepmother hung out in the same circles. If his father owned the national chain of one of the most popular supermarkets in the country, then they were all incredibly wealthy. Echo wasn't quite sure what to say to him since she barely knew her stepmother.

Jean saved her from the awkwardness as he asked. "Were you just finishing your run?"

"Yeah, I was heading back when I got distracted by this view." Echo said.

He smiled. "Since you're done, want to walk back with me?"

Echo's heart skittered. Even though their high school years had been over years ago, it was kind of exciting for a geek to finally get the attention of a guy who had been the jock in school.

"Sure." She said, with a smile.

He took her hand and he never let it go as they walked down the mountain trail like they hadn't had a care in the world.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scoot. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

"I told you that he had a thing for you." Rachel said, in the I-told-you-so voice that Echo had heard since they were kids. Luckily, she'd outgrown sticking her tongue out at a long time ago.

Echo had just gotten back from her walk with Jean an hour ago, and when Rachel had arrived, she had filled her in on what had happened.

"He's nice, and he's cute, but I still have a hard time believing that somebody like him has a thing for me. But I think he could be Nameless Hero. He told me that he'd always liked me, but could never get me to notice him. I guess I wrote him off because we didn't hang out in the same circle. Not to mention the fact that all I did was study and work. I was too busy to pay attention to much else."

"Did you do him?" Rachel asked.

"No." Echo confided. "I barely know him, Rach. I can't just ask him to fuck me so I'll know whether or not he's my nameless man."

Okay, maybe Echo had wanted him to kiss her so she could have some significant body contact with him, but she wasn't about to ask him to make her come….not yet, anyway.

"Says the woman who has a nameless stalker who took her virginity in the dark, and isn't terrified." Rachel snorted, as she put her hand into the bag of chips she'd brought with her.

"Maybe he is my stalker." Echo considered.

"Maybe he is." Rachel agreed. "He was definitely around to give you the cell phone when you graduated."

"But why would he hide it?" Echo asked. "Why would he need to? It's not like he's married with kids. Not that I know of anyway."

Rachel shook her head, chewing a mouthful of chips before she said. "He's not. I had a friend who dated him for a while, but they broke up a year ago. She said he was too hung up on the lacrosse career he had to leave behind."

Echo looked at her in surprise. "Wait a minute. You knew Jean was wealthy?"

"Of course. Didn't you?"

"I had no idea. I told you I didn't know him all that well."

Honestly, Echo hadn't paid much attention to anything except studying and working during her last couple of years of high school. Then her mom had died, and her whole world had come crashing down on her.

"It's only money." Rachel said, matter-of-factly. "And that will never buy your happiness."

"I know." Echo replied with a sigh. "But I could certainly use some cash right now."

"You'll get a job." She said, confidently. "I'm not exactly doing what I thought I was born to do, but I can help you out."

"Absolutely not!" Echo snapped. It wasn't the first time her friend had offered her money, and she refused to take it. In a less forceful voice, she added. "I appreciate your emotional support, but I won't take your money. I'm surviving, and Jean offered to talk to a friend about getting me a waitress position in his buddy's bar if I couldn't get into programming right away."

"Not what you were born to do, either." Rachel said, sadly. "I wish you'd just let Erwin help you get into SC Technologies. You know you can do it, Echo, and you've worked so damn hard for your education. That company is your dream job."

There were several occasions when Echo had wanted to cave in, and let Erwin help her. He probably has plenty of contacts for smaller tech companies that might take her on. But he didn't owe her anything, and he was already being so nice about her living situation. She wouldn't feel right about asking him for anything else.

"It doesn't have to be forever." Echo explained. "I'll keep looking for something in my field. But in the meantime, I need to work, and I know how to be a cocktail waitress."

"How long before Levi kicks you out of here?" Rachel questioned.

Echo shrugged. "I have no idea, but Erwin acts like I can stay forever."

"He cares about you, Ec." Rachel said, softly. "I know he doesn't know you that well, but he obviously gives a damn about what happens to you. I still think you need to consider the fact that he could be your nameless guy, too."

Echo finally reached for the enormous bag of M&M's that were laying on the table. The more she worried, the more she needed that chocolate. "I know he cares. I guess I just have no idea how to handle that."

Nobody had really given a damn about her, except for Rachel, since her mom had died, and it was difficult to understand why Erwin and Levi would care at all. Her father had been a mooch and not the type of person who had really inspired generosity. Still, those two men were willing to help her out. Even her stepmother had called to see how she was doing.

"I really think you should find out what he's like between the sheets, even if he isn't your guy." Rachel said, impishly.

"I'm starting to think you're a lot more obsessed with him than I am." Echo teased.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Erwin Smith? Not in a million years. I've never even met the guy, but he's a fun fantasy."

"He's nice." She said, defending Erwin. "He's not stuffy at all."

"I'm sure he's a good man. He's worried about you, which makes him a hero in my book. Plus, you're smart with an amazing career in front of you. I'm a washed-out ballet dancer who doesn't really know how to do anything else. Not exactly the type of woman to attract a gorgeous billionaire."

Echo chewed the chocolate in her mouth, her heart breaking for everything Rachel had been through. She swallowed before she replied, "You'll find out where you're supposed to be. You're beautiful and talented. Nothing is going to change that."

Rachel was smart enough to do anything she wanted. But just like her, finances and poverty were standing in her way.

"I'll get over it." Rachel said, in a casual manner Echo wasn't quite buying. "I have no choice."

'When one door closes, another one opens,' that had always been one of her mom's favorite quotes, and she still had no idea why. No door had ever opened for her mom and her while she was alive, but she'd been a lot more hopeful than Echo had ever been. If those words her mother had loved ever became a reality, Echo really wanted something good to happen for her best friend since her dreams had been demolished. She'd heard the loud slamming of the door to her ambitions. She deserved to see another one open up for her.

Echo reached across the table and laid a hand on Rachel's forearm. "What can I do to help?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Oh, wait! Maybe one thing. Go out with the two rich guys you have in the palm of your hand, and find out which one is your nameless man. I'm dying to know."

Echo laughed as she stood up to get another glass of wine. "Maybe it's neither."

"It has to be one of them." Rachel argued. "Who else could it be? Personally, I'm betting that it's Jean. I noticed how he looked at you in chemistry class years ago."

Echo pulled out the cheap bottle of white wine she'd picked up, and refilled her glass, then held it out to Rachel.

"I'm good." Rachel said. Her glass was still pretty full.

"Just so you know, Jean needed my help in chemistry, so I have no doubt he was looking at me like he wanted me to stick around." Echo informed her dryly.

"Then why is he paying attention to you now?"

"Yeah, I guess I really don't get it." She answered, sitting down again across from Rachel. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"Can't." Rachel answered with obvious regret. "I have work to do at home. I haven't done laundry in a week, and my poor tiny apartment can't take too much clutter."

Echo was disappointed, but she understood how busy she was, and how many hours she had been working. "Need help?" Echo asked. "I don't have any big plans."

Rachel took a long sip of her wine before she got up. "Nope. My apartment isn't that big, and it's certainly not worth the drive over to my place."

"Be careful." Echo warned her as she got to her feet to see her friend out.

Rachel didn't live in one of the safer areas of Scottsdale. She lived in her old neighborhood. Overall, Scottsdale was a nice place to live, but it had a few not-so-nice areas.

She hugged her before she walked out the door and said. "I think you should go ahead and talk to your nameless guy and try to get more information."

Echo smiled as she released her and watched her walk to her car. Rachel was almost as obsessed as she was about the identity of her nameless hero. Echo closed the door and locked it behind her. She hated the silence that fell over the guest house. She liked it a lot better when she didn't have the quiet environment to really think.

She walked back to the kitchen to get her phone.

'Do it. Do it now.' She'd been thinking about Nameless Hero a lot since the last time he'd texted, and her investigation hadn't brought any clarity.

She was confused and she didn't understand his motives or reasons for staying anonymous. Why did he even give a damn about what happened to her? Anyway, it was time for her to find out exactly what her Nameless Hero wanted.

**Echo: ****What do you want from me? **

Echo held her breath after she typed those words into her phone, wondering if he would even answer.

**Nameless Hero: ****I want you to be safe, and to be happy**.

She let out her pent-up breath in a giant whoosh when she saw his answer. He was obviously willing to talk, and she needed as much information as he would give her.

**Echo: ****That wasn't all you wanted in the boathouse.**

**Nameless Hero: ****I won't even try to deny the fact that I want to fuck you. I've always been drawn to you. And I know you feel it, too. **

Her mind wandered to that unforgettable night. She couldn't say that she hadn't wanted it, too. Maybe more than he had.

**Echo: ****I was lonely, and yes, I wanted you. **

If this was going to be a no-bullshit conversation, she needed to keep it real and stay honest.

**Nameless Hero: ****I'd hoped that you'd realize that you aren't alone, and that you never have to feel that way. I've always been here. **

God, she wished that were true. Echo ached for somebody to love her, someone who cared about her for her.

**Echo****: ****This is twisted and you know it. It's not like you're ready to allow us to meet face-to-face. And I need people who are real in my life. I don't need a fantasy.**

**Nameless Hero: ****I'm very real, my fiery ember. And I've always been here for you. You've just never seen it. **

She couldn't stop the angry, frustrated tears that started to leak from her eyes. Truth was, she ached for the touch of this unknown man every damn night. She hadn't been the same since he'd touch her, made her feel like she was beautiful, even though she wasn't.

**Echo: ****Then where are you now? Where are you every night when I get into bed alone? Sometimes I wish you had never touched me. Then I wouldn't know exactly what was missing in my life. I wouldn't have to wonder if you were every damn man I meet. I wouldn't be so confused and I already feel so lost. **

She let out a strangled sob as the tears continued to flow down her face. She felt so damn alone that she couldn't hold back her sorrow. Rarely did Echo let her thoughts go to the night she'd lost her virginity, but when she was talking to her Nameless Hero, every bit of longing she had was forced to the surface and it was raw and painful.

**Nameless Hero: ****Are you crying?**

Echo let out a snort that wasn't really a sob and it definitely wasn't a laugh. It was a sound of disgust. Maybe she had always known she would hurt if she allowed herself to really have a conversation with Nameless. That's probably why she'd avoided it for so long.

Irritated with herself, she simply typed: **Echo****: ****Yes, I'm crying.**

One minute she was convinced she was talking to Erwin, and the next she thought about Jean. It was enough to make any woman crazy. The sad part was…she needed the comfort that she knew instinctively would only come from the man who had held her the night she'd lost her virginity.

And that guy pretty much didn't exist.

**Nameless Hero: ****Don't cry, my fiery ember. I never wanted to make you cry. I'll come see you tonight and we'll talk if that will help. **

Echo's heart skittered, and she took a shaky breath. "How in the world could we talk?"

**Echo: ****You know where I live?**

**Nameless Hero: ****I do now.**

Erwin? Jean? Echo had no idea how this was going to work out, but she really needed to settle the nameless thing once and for all before she lost her mind.

**Echo: ****What time?**

Maybe she should be terrified, but this man had known her whereabouts for years and she wasn't dead yet.

**Nameless Hero: ****Late. If you want me in your bed, leave the window cracked open in your bedroom. I'll find you. **

"Dammit!" She cursed aloud. "Another concealed meeting where I'll be left broken and alone again? Not happening!"

**Echo: ****Come to my door and show your face or we aren't doing this.**

**Nameless Hero: ****I can't. I know you don't understand, but I have my reasons for not showing up at your door.**

**Echo: ****Then tell me what they are, because I don't understand you at all. **

**Nameless Hero: ****I'll be there tonight. If you want me, leave the window cracked open for me. If you don't, then I'll go. No matter what you decide, the money I deposited in your bank account is yours. It should help you so you have time to get things together before you need to make a job decision. If you need more, tell me.**

She dropped the phone because she had nothing more to say. But she did snatch up her computer from the other side of the table and plunked it down in front of her.

Money? Echo had no idea what he was talking about? She'd been figuring her pathetic balance since she'd come back to Arizona, but she hadn't actually looked since the day she'd purchased a cheap dress for her Dad's reception. Since she was pretty anal sometimes, she had her balance constantly totaled to the penny. She had to since she needed to pay attention to every cent.

Echo did the double sign-in process required for her bank account and then waited. Her jaw dropped as her eyes anxiously scanned the transactions and she had to make sure she hadn't just logged in to somebody else's account. Her heart was pounding wildly as she finally accepted the balance. Echo have over half a million dollars in her bank account. The money was real, and it was already cleared.

"Why?" She said, aloud in a breathless voice. "Why are you doing this?"

She'd never take the money, but she didn't understand why this man had deposited a fortune into her bank account. Echo bit her lip until it was painful as she continued to stare at the figures in front of her. She started to move around the account, seeing that the deposit had been made the day after she'd been with her Nameless man in the boathouse. One large lump sum.

"What were you thinking?" She whispered. She so wanted to get into his head, think like he did. But there was no reasonable explanation for his actions. She grabbed her phone.

**Echo: ****Why? Why did you deposit that much money?**

Echo waited ten minutes for a response that never came. Obviously, it was a question he didn't want to answer. The funds had come from a KA Corporation, and she started to try to look for the company online. Every bit of computer snooping she did turned up nothing. Unless she wanted to try to break through the company's security and firewall, Echo could get absolutely no info on who owned it.

"I'll go to the bank tomorrow and make them take it out." She said, in a voice husky from the tears she'd shed.

Echo took one last look at her unanswered text, and then gave up on getting an answer. If he'd wanted to explain, he would have done it by now. She reached for the potato chips that she'd been avoiding and downed the entire bag. The chocolate also got polished off before she finally went to bed.

* * *

"Echo?"

The husky-smooth voice of her Nameless Hero jolted her from a restless sleep.

She panicked at first, her heart pounding. She was hyperventilating because of her initial confusion. Her world was completely dark, even though she had her eyes open. "I can't see." She said, in a distressed voice.

"You're blindfolded." He answered in a comforting tone, his arms wrapped tightly around her body from behind. "It's better this way. You're safe, fiery ember. I'm not here to hurt you. You know that. I just want to talk. I know you're upset."

Echo's breathing slowed, and as he continued to hold her tightly, she finally relaxed.

This hadn't been part of her plan, but she wasn't really afraid. When she had finally gone to bed, Echo had decided she'd crack her window and wait for Nameless Hero, confront him when and if he came through her bedroom window. She'd left on enough illumination in the attached bathroom to see him, but hopefully not deter him with lights burning brightly in the bedroom. Unfortunately, Echo had a couple of glasses of wine with the ton of chocolate she had consumed, and she had apparently conked out before he'd arrived.

"I'm not afraid of you." She said, in a stronger voice. Okay, maybe that wasn't entirely true. She wasn't worried about her physical safety, but she was concerned about her mental state.

"Good." He answered in a husky voice beside her ear. "Because I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here because I didn't want you to feel like you're alone."

The gruff earnestness in his tone made her body melt into his, the fiery warmth of his strong arms holding her protectively against him more of comfort than she wanted to admit. "Why did you deposit that money in my account?" It was the question she'd been waiting to ask.

"You need it." He answered abruptly. "I don't. You have to live, and you need some time to yourself to heal."

"I can't possibly take your money." She protested.

"You have before. Why is it different now?"

"I've never taken a dime from you." She said, indignantly.

"Who do you think paid for your college every semester? And your rent? And some of your other living expenses? I never paid myself and I should've. I left it up to somebody else to decide how much a student needed to live well. It wasn't as much as it should've been. Not even close. But I didn't know that until recently. Hell, you needed a lot more to feel secure and comfortable. I regret that. You had to get a job just to get by. That shouldn't have happened. You should've felt secure from the very beginning. This time I made sure to do the transfer myself."

Echo's muscles tensed, and his words played through her mind over and over again as her tired brain attempted to understand. "My dad paid my expenses." Echo finally answered.

"Wrong answer." He rasped. "Nameless paid for it, and he sent the occasional messages to see if you were okay…they were all me, Echo. I'm sorry. It was never your father, and I never meant for you to think that I was him."

His words cut deep, and it took Echo a minute to figure it all out. In the end, she concluded that her father had never sought her out at all. Not even to see if she was okay after her mother had died. He'd never covered her college education. He'd never helped with the expense, even though he'd had access to plenty of money that he spent like it belonged to him. In fact, Eli Sullivan had never given her a second thought. Ever.

"Then my father truly never gave a damn. Not even enough to help me through college." She said, pain vibrating in her voice.

"I'm so damn sorry." He said again. "But it was never my intent to try to trick you—"

"No! Don't!" Echo interrupted him, choking out the words. "I needed to know. Otherwise, I'd always assume that it was him, and I'd keep mourning the relationship I thought we might have someday." The pain in her chest was too acute, too sharp, and she was breathing raggedly to keep herself from crying.

She continued speaking because she couldn't stop, even though it was agonizing. "He never loved me. I knew it. I always knew it, especially when my mom and I were half-starving. The bastard never gave me a second thought. But I guess because I believed he was paying for my education, there was always some stupid, tiny hope in the back of my mind that he might learn to care. He didn't. So I don't have to wonder what might've happened if he hadn't died. I don't have to feel guilty that I didn't see him before he had his heart attack. I don't have to feel anything." Echo was panting by the time she got finished saying the words that she needed to accept.

Nameless Hero had been behind everything, and that man wasn't her parent. Her father had never given a shit about how his only child would survive. Honestly, the revelation wasn't all that shocking, even though it hurt like hell.

"It wasn't you. It was never you. Eli was a narcissist. He didn't know how to love anybody," Nameless said, in a coarse tone.

As Echo started to sob, she realized that she'd been suffocated with guilt about what had never been with her father, and she'd always blamed herself.

Maybe if she'd been a little prettier…

Maybe if she hadn't been a geek…

Maybe if she was a little more popular in school…

Maybe if she wasn't a klutz at every sport she tried to play instead of a shy, scholastic overachiever.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

Echo had turned herself inside out since she was a kid, wondering what she'd ever done to make him ignore her so totally and completely. Nameless used a powerful arm and turned her until she had her face in his chest, crying a river into whatever was obscuring her sight.

"I'm sorry." She said, as she recovered. "I'm glad you told me. But I'm not sure what to do about everything you've done. I didn't know—"

"You're not doing a damn thing." He insisted in a demanding voice. "I wanted to help you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have done it."

"Why did you?" Echo asked, in a breathless voice. "Please help me understand. All of this is confusing. And it's crazy."

"It's not really." He answered, hoarsely. "I've always been drawn to you for some damn reason. I've always been attracted to you."

"Then why can't you just tell me who you are? It's pretty obvious that I'm attracted to you, too. Why does everything have to be a mystery?"

"I don't want to talk about that." He rasped, his breathing heavier than it was before.

"Well, too bad. Because I want to talk about it. Do you know what it feels like to know I gave my virginity to a guy who is still nameless? The only explanation I can find is that you're already married, or in a relationship. Or maybe running from the law."

For all she knew, he could be a rich member of the mob.

"Does it matter?" He asked, urgently.

"It does to me."

"Fuck!" He cursed, his body tensing up. "I'm not any of those things, Echo, I swear. I didn't know you were a virgin, and I should've left you the hell alone. But I couldn't after I saw you on the dock. You were so damn torn up, so much that I could feel your fucking pain. You should've had somebody there with you. But I knew I couldn't be that man. I shouldn't have touched you, because once I did, I knew I was screwed."

Echo wrapped her arms around his neck. Nameless said he could sense her pain, and the funny thing was, she could feel his, too, even though she couldn't see his face. The anguish was radiating from his body, and it made her want to soothe it somehow.

"I don't regret it." She confessed against the side of his neck. "Losing my virginity was so much better than I thought it could ever be. It showed me what I was missing. I didn't even know my body could react like that."

Problem was, she wanted Nameless to be that guy. Echo didn't know what screwed up force of nature was drawing them together, but being with him felt as natural as breathing, and her body reacted to his every touch.

"I want you, Echo. My fiery ember. I'd be lying if I said I didn't." He said in a deep, raspy voice as he nuzzled her neck.

"Then take what you want." She challenged, the feel of his hot mouth trailing down her neck sending shockwaves through her body that pooled white-hot between her thighs.

"I didn't come here to fuck you." He said irritably, like he was fighting his own demons.

She knew she deserved so much more than some nighttime phantom lover, but if one more night with Nameless was all she had, she was going to take it and enjoy it. Tomorrow she would make herself forget that this man existed. Tomorrow she would be stronger. But tonight, Echo was raw and vulnerable, and the only thing she wanted was him.

"Maybe you didn't come here to have sex, but we both want the same thing." She purred as she lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist.

That's all it took for Nameless to finally snap.

* * *

BlueMoon Goddess: I'm sure you guys can figure out what's going to go down next chapter. Until next time! ^_^


	6. Chapter 6

BlueMoon Goddess: Hello guys, I'm here with another chapter! I'm glad people are starting to like this story, and the encouraging reviews. Just wanted to add that there will be a lemon in this chapter, so I hope everyone is ready for that!

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

Echo's breath whooshed out of her lungs as she landed flat on her back, with Nameless on top of her.

"I didn't come here for this, but I'll be damned if I'll say no." He rasped beside her ear. "I want you too damn much."

The need in his voice turned her on so much that her body responded like it was already on fire. She couldn't see, but she could feel his weight heavy and very welcome on top of her. "Please take me." Echo encouraged as she reached for her blindfold.

"Don't!" He growled as he wrapped a powerful hand around her wrist.

"I want to see you." She whimpered.

"Not tonight!" He said, forcefully. "But I'm going to make up for every single thing I didn't do in the boathouse. And I'm going to see you."

Another flush of sizzling heat flowed between her legs. She was so wet that all she wanted was his enormous cock inside her body. What didn't he do in the boathouse? Just the images of that night were driving her crazy, spurring her on to feel the way she had when he'd taken her virginity.

She wanted to feel beautiful.

She wanted to feel like a temptress.

She wanted to experience what it felt like to be as close to a guy as she had with this man that night.

"What are you doing?" She squeaked as she felt her wrists being encircled by soft fabric.

"You don't need to see, Echo. You just need to feel." He demanded. "Trust me."

She would be lying if she said she didn't feel just a little uncomfortable as she yanked at her wrists and discovered that they weren't going to get to the blindfold. In fact, they weren't going to move much at all. Trust him? Did she trust Nameless? It seemed that she didn't have much choice.

"I want my hands back." Echo said, breathlessly.

She shivered as she felt his hot breath against her ear. "You started this, my fiery ember. Now it goes my way."

She pulled harder. Her bondage was soft, but it was secure.

"I trust you." She said, in a rush as his mouth caressed the sensitive skin of her neck. "I just wish you trusted me enough to tell me who you are."

"I'm the man who's going to make you come so hard you won't even know your own name." He answered roughly against her skin.

Maybe she had wanted him to share something with her so she didn't feel so damn vulnerable. But at the moment, the feel of him was enough. Echo gasped as the tank top she was wearing slid up her body, exposing her breasts to the cool air.

Being blinded made every one of his movements a shock to her system. So when his tongue ran across one of her hard nipples, she shivered. When his teeth grazed over the sensitive peak, she moaned. "Please." She begged.

"I'll give you everything you want." He said huskily, palming both her breasts. "You just have to be patient."

Echo's patience was limited. Every nerve she had was firing, burning her up. She squirmed as his hot mouth continued to torment her nipples, and she pulled against her bindings. She needed more, but she didn't want him to stop. Nameless did things to Echo's body that she wasn't used to feeling. Maybe he was a mystery, but her arousal was all too real. It was like he exuded male pheromones that pulled her closer and closer to danger, and her flight response was totally disabled.

Echo couldn't turn away, even though her brain should've shut everything down by putting an end to his possession. She nearly whimpered as she felt him shift down her body, and then, just as suddenly, he was gone.

"Where are you?" She said in a panic, her body being one big ache.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." He said, in a hoarse voice. "Relax."

Echo could hear the rustling sound of clothing, and she realized he was undressing.

"Do you know what you look like right now?" He asked, gruffly.

She shook her head. "No."

"You look like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And you look like you're mine, my fiery ember." He answered in a voice rough with emotion.

Echo's core clenched hard with need in response to his possessive statement. Right now, she was his, and she was at his mercy. Strangely, that was more erotic than it was terrifying. More heart-wrenching than it was scary.

"I wish I could see you." She whispered.

She felt his weight compress the mattress again. "No, you don't." He said harshly, as he gripped the soft pajama shorts she was wearing and pulled them down her legs. "And pretty soon all you'll wish for is to come."

Echo shuddered as he spread her legs apart, her feminine folds open and vulnerable to him. The first gentle touch of his fingers sliding through her saturated pink flesh caused her body to jolt.

"You're so damn wet." He said. "Do you know how it feels for me to know I'm the only man that's ever touched this beautiful pussy? That it really is mine?"

"No." She gasped, as he brushed over her nub.

"It makes me feel pretty damn humbled." He answered. "Pretty damn lucky."

"What if I hadn't been a virgin?" She questioned in a tremulous voice.

"Then I'd want to be the only guy who ever had it from that day forward." He replied huskily.

Echo opened her mouth to ask another question, but his silky, provocative mouth came down hot on her exposed, needy folds before she could get the words out. And then, she totally forgot what she wanted to say as Nameless devoured her greedily as her body thrashed in response.

"Oh, God!" She cried out helplessly, her body incinerating as his tongue licked along her quivering flesh from bottom to top as though he was claiming every part that he touched.

Her hips bucked in response, begging for more, and Echo cursed the bonds that kept her hands from pressing his head harder against her folds. Her body vibrated, craving every touch of his tongue, every brush of his lips, and every gentle bite on the bundle of nerves that was swollen with need. He took his time, which was both a torment and an elemental pleasure that she absorbed like a sponge. Her hips rose off the bed, desperate to get more of the erotic sensations from his wicked mouth, but it was evident that he was controlling how fast she was going to orgasm. And it wasn't quick enough for her.

Echo could hear her own ragged breathing as she panted, and she could feel beads of perspiration dotting her flesh. Nameless consumed her, fed on her like she was a delicious delicacy he couldn't get enough of, and Echo could hear him lapping every drop of liquid heat he could swallow.

"Too much!" She cried. "I can't take any more."

He didn't even falter. She could feel his hands stoking over her thighs as he continued his erotic assault on her womanly folds.

"Now." She demanded desperately. "Make me come."

Echo's body was so taut with need that she felt like she was going to break into pieces, and her climax was so stoked that she could feel it painfully growing in her lower belly. She let out an animalist sound as his teeth grazed her precious pearl, his mouth sucking in the tormented flesh.

"Yes!" She moaned, so desperate to come that her body was shaking.

She hissed as she felt his fingers slide inside her, and she yelped when they curled and found a place inside her that almost caused her to spontaneously combust. He stroked over the sensitive spot, and his teeth bit down gently on her nub, giving her exactly what she needed to see stars in the blackness of her vision. Echo's entire body was seized as she climaxed, the pulsations coming from every nerve and cell she had. She screamed as she erupted like a molten volcano that suddenly burst from the intense pressure that had built up over time.

Echo felt shattered, and completely destroyed as she came helplessly for what felt like forever, not knowing if she'd recover. But in the heat of the moment, and under his possessive touch, she didn't really care.

"There's nothing that looks and sounds as sexy as you do when you come." Nameless said in a guttural voice next to her ear.

Echo had relished the feel of his bare, heated flesh against hers as he had slowly made his way up in a sensual skin-to-skin journey until he was lodged firmly between her thighs. Her body was still trembling in the aftermath of her orgasm, and she was breathing hard to get control of her rapid respirations. She felt like she'd completely come apart, but she was slowly coming together again.

"Fuck me." Echo said in a breathless, lustful voice that she didn't recognize as her own.

Right now, she needed him to fill her. She felt raw, vulnerable, and completely carnal. The only thing that would make her totally whole was him.

He growled right before he shifted his hips in one powerful surge and buried himself inside her. "Mine!" He snarled. "You're fucking mine, Echo!"

His enormous shaft stretched her, but it felt so damn good that Echo wrapped her legs around his hips, trying to get him even deeper. She cursed the ties that kept her from feeling his hot skin, his hair, and denying her the connection she really needed.

"Easy." He said, gruffly. Echo felt his hand pushing the hair from her face. "I want this to last."

With the crazy, out-of-control desire coursing through every cell in her body when he touched her, she really didn't care how long it lasted. She was greedy for him, and she wanted as much of him as she could get.

Echo tightened her legs around him and ground upward. "Fuck me." She demanded. If she couldn't see him, she wanted to feel him.

"Jesus, Echo! You'd try the patience of a saint." He ground out.

For some reason, the fact that she could make him lose control was hot. She undulated her hips again as she lifted them up. "You're no saint."

"Do you want me to be?" He asked, roughly.

"Hell no." She whispered, fervently.

"Thank fuck for that."

Echo could feel his chest moving rapidly, his breath as uneven as hers, right before he moved back slowly and thrust back into her. He kept repeating the same motions over and over until she felt like she was going insane. Echo sensed that he was satisfying a primal instinct, and her reaction to each deep, slow entry was just as feral as his was.

She savored the intimacy of every thrust, her body craving every in-and-out movement of his cock. "Harder." She insisted.

He covered her mouth with his, swallowing any other words that probably would've left her mouth, consuming her with an embrace of desperate need and powerful desire. Echo could taste herself on his lips, and it drove her crazy. She felt his hand go under her ass, and he pulled her up with every deep, fast stroke of his member, slamming their bodies together until Echo could hear the satisfying sound of slapping skin.

"Yes!" She shouted out, as he released her mouth. "Oh my God, yes!"

"Come for me, Echo." He rasped against her ear.

He took his hand from her ass and pushed it between their bodies until his finger stroked over her pearl. That's all it took to set her off. Every nerve in her body fired, and all she could feel was pleasure that shot outward from her body, leaving Echo a mess as she screamed incoherent words at the top of her voice.

Nameless let out a feral, loud groan of pleasure as Echo's core squeezed him to his own hot release. He freed her hands from the headboard, and she wrapped them around his neck, grasping for something to keep her grounded. His back was slick with sweat, and his hair was damp. But he felt so gloriously male that she couldn't stop touching him. He gave her a sensual kiss before he rolled and pulled her on top of him. They stayed just like that for several minutes as they caught their breath.

Echo's heart was slowing as she murmured. "Is sex always this good?"

"No." He answered, huskily. "Not in my experience."

"Do you have a lot of experience?" She asked.

"Enough to know that what we have is pretty extraordinary chemistry." He said, with a rusty chuckle.

Echo moved off him and collapsed on the bed. "But this can't happen again." She warned him. "It messes with my head, and I'm already screwed up enough."

He wrapped a strong arm around her and pulled her to his side. "You're not screwed up." He said, gruffly. "I am."

She was silent for a moment, savoring his rock-hard, warm body against hers. "Can't you tell me why you won't let me know who you are? Please?"

"This has nothing to do with you, Echo. It's all me. And the circumstances are irreversible. Don't ever think that I don't want to claim you. That I don't want to take you out and spoil the hell out of you the way you deserve. But I can't. I'm not that man, and I can't give you what you need."

"Why? Please just tell me why. I don't understand." She suddenly felt her nakedness, but it had nothing to do with her nearly-nude state.

Echo was still stuck on the idea that she might be screwing some other woman's man, and it made her nauseous. She'd always hated women who knowingly messed with married or involved men. But couldn't she be doing the same thing without knowing it?

"I'm sorry." His voice was remorseful. "I never planned on any of this. But I should've known that once I'd touched you, I'd be screwed. Maybe I did know, and I just didn't care because I've wanted you for so damn long."

"How long?" Echo questioned.

If Nameless Hero had been somebody who had known her for a while, then it still left Erwin and Jean in the running. In actuality, she had met Erwin at her mother's funeral when her stepmother brought him along. She was pretty sure he'd only shown up because her father hadn't. Nameless sounded a lot like Erwin, but she couldn't be sure he wasn't trying to disguise his voice a little so she didn't recognize it. He was stubbornly silent, so she assumed he wasn't going to tell her when they had met.

"You sound like Erwin Smith." Echo ventured.

"I'd kill him if he touched you." He answered, harshly.

"You know Erwin?" She asked. "Do you know Jean Kirstein, too?"

"Yes. Enough that I'd probably beat the hell out of him if he touched you, too."

"But you aren't him, either?"

"Hell, no. Jean is barely old enough to drink." He grumbled.

"So am I." She reminded him. She didn't believe for a moment that Nameless wasn't lying to cover up his identity, or to throw her off.

He brushed the hair back from her face. "I doubt you were ever really a child, Echo."

His words touched her because they were probably more than a little bit true. Her mom had done her best, and she'd loved her fiercely. But she'd always felt like an adult, and she'd been a latchkey kid taking care of herself from a pretty early age.

"Did you know my mother?" Echo questioned.

He stroked her hair as he said. "I never had the privilege, no."

Her heart tripped. If Nameless was telling the truth, he couldn't be Jean. Her mother had met him a few times in passing at the market they'd worked at in high school.

"We never had any money, but we loved each other. We used to come to this area to watch the stars at night. It was one of the only things we could afford to do. That's why I love this house so much. It brings back some of the good memories we had."

Echo had no idea why she was pouring her heart out to a man she didn't know, but she sensed that Nameless would never judge her. So she felt comfortable telling him some of the things that she didn't talk about with anybody else.

He pulled Echo tightly against his muscular chest as he said. "Everything will be okay, Echo. I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but I'll always make sure that you're all right."

She relaxed against him. "I'll have a degree, but no documented experience in programming. And the only thing I'm qualified to do is cocktail waitressing. I'm basically freeloading in a house that isn't mine, and that I have no right to even be in right now. So you're right. Everything doesn't seem okay at all, but my whole life has always been a struggle, so I know I'll survive."

Echo had tough skin, and she'd been conditioned for hard times since she was a kid. She had no doubt she would find a way through her difficult position. She always did.

"I'm sorry that you were disappointed about your father."

"I honestly did need to know." She told him with sigh. "And being disappointed about my father is nothing new. In some ways, it makes it easier for me to heal since there was never any possible relationship between him and me."

Even though she was blindfolded, she closed her eyes. She was pretty much physically and emotionally depleted. Nameless was silent, and she felt her body start to drift.

It was the last thing Echo remembered until she woke up alone and pulled off her blindfold, the space beside her cold, and the pillowcase he'd used to tie her hands thrown over the headboard.

At some point during the early morning hours, her Nameless Hero had left without a trace.

* * *

BlueMoon Goddess: Well I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Especially the lemon, next chapter, the mystery on trying to figure out Echo's 'Nameless Hero' continues, so until next time! ^_^


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scoot. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

"At least take the test, Echo. That's all I'm asking."

Erwin's words brought her eyes off her plate of seafood, and back to the gorgeous man sitting across the table from her. He'd insisted on taking her out to dinner since she'd already cooked for him several times. The restaurant was good, but Echo was more interested in whether or not Erwin was her Nameless Hero to really enjoy the seafood on her plate.

She had spent the last three days, since Nameless had left her bed, wondering about Erwin. There was something familiar about him, and even though Nameless had blown off her suggestion, she couldn't shake the nagging voice in her head.

She'd pretty much ruled out Jean. They'd walked together again yesterday, and even though he was fit and good looking, his presence was much different than Nameless'. When she was with Jean, she felt like a girl experiencing the joys of having her first boyfriend. However, with Nameless, she felt like a hot-blooded woman who was desired from her lover. Plus, Jean had known her mother. Not well, but they had definitely met several times. Yeah, Nameless could be a liar, but Echo sensed he hadn't been making it up when he'd said he'd never had the pleasure of meeting her mother.

"I can pass the test." Echo informed him. "I've tried the practice exams and never had a problem."

Erwin had been harping on her about going to work for SC Technologies since they'd met in the parking lot tonight, and he didn't seem ready to lay off the subject anytime soon.

He grinned, a smile that would probably cause other women to drop to the floor and worship the man. Really, he was way too hot, and so charismatic that Echo smiled back at him.

"Good." He said, his eyes shooting her a mischievous look. "Then the test won't be an issue."

She knew the SC Technologies entry exam was rough, and even though Echo was shy and hesitant in just about every other area of her life, she didn't doubt her ability when it came to computers and programming.

"I can't just take the test and let you hire me. You haven't even seen my resume."

He reached for his drink and downed some of it before he answered. "Yes, well, I might have snagged a copy when I was at the guest house. They were just lying there, and it may have found its way into my pocket so I could put you in for a junior position on the robotics team."

Echo's eyes widened. "You stole my resume?"

He nodded. "Guilty." Erwin didn't look the least bit remorseful.

"That was rather highhanded." She told him.

"Maybe because you're rather stubborn, and I know you'd be an asset to SC if you'd just stop protesting. Every one of your professors gave you glowing recommendations. I know because I called them, and asked for them. All of them sent one the same day I called. I have seen your resume, and I passed it on to the project manager along with the letters from your college. He's interested and I just asked him what he thought about taking an exceptional new grad for an entry level position on the team."

She lifted an eyebrow. "He doesn't know that I'm somebody you want to see get a job at SC Technologies?"

"I didn't have to mention it. It wasn't necessary. He was impressed by all of the independent software work you've done in robotics according to your professors. You'd be perfect to go into the program, and we could probably connect with your college of choice to arrange for some of the work to count as coursework for your master's program. Kind of like a working intern. We've done it before with a few of the universities we partner with for education. You could complete your program online for the most part. SC Technologies encourages talent, even without experience, if that person can pass our exam."

The whole idea was so damn tempting Echo almost groaned out loud. She could finish her master's while she was making a living, and she could work at the best tech giant in the industry. SC Technologies was her dream job. It always had been, but she thought it would be years until she could get them to look at her.

"So will you interview, and at least take the test?" He asked.

Echo took a deep breath as she stared at him. "I don't know how to say no." She confessed.

Erwin pulled out his phone and started to text. "Then don't say no." He advised. "And don't think we're doing you a favor, because we aren't. You've worked hard, Echo, and you're brilliant. You'd be an asset to us. If I didn't think so, I wouldn't be so persistent. I might care about you, but I wouldn't be putting you in my company if I didn't know we'd come out on top of the deal."

Erwin was a businessman. Maybe he was telling her the truth. She highly doubted he'd put nepotism over his tech company. "Okay." She said, her heart hammering with excitement. "I'll interview and take the test."

He looked down at his phone. "Are you busy tomorrow at two o'clock?"

"No."

"Then I'm going to let the project manager know you'll be there." He said as he texted, and then put the phone back in his pocket.

"You just arranged a job interview at eight o'clock at night?" She questioned.

He looked at her, his icy blue eyes dancing. "I do have a little bit of pull, and all of the important phone numbers."

A little bit of pull? No doubt everybody jumps when Erwin contacts them since he owns the company.

"I haven't gotten a single interview call yet, and you just arranged one in a couple of text messages." She answered with a sigh.

"Their loss." He answered. "You know that sometimes resumes sit in human resources forever. SC Technologies prides itself on getting ahead of the competition."

Echo shot him a small smile as she reached for her water. "I'm kind of nervous." She confided. "I haven't had a professional interview yet. I was thinking I'd hear about the cocktail waitress job that Jean Kirstein is working on for me first."

Erwin paused in his mission to demolish all the food on his plate and frowned. "Why is Jean Kirstein trying to get you a waitressing job? You're a programmer."

"Because I have experience, and I need some kind of income. I can't hang out in Levi's home forever."

"So you're willing to take his help, but not mine?" Erwin said, in a voice that sounded just a little bit wounded.

Honestly, Echo wasn't sure what to say. He was right. She was willing to use acquaintances to help her get her foot in the door for another position. "It's a waitress job."

"You're more qualified to be a programmer. You just finished four years of college, and worked some independent study on the side. You're going to graduate with high honors, Echo."

"I worked in a club in Seattle. I have work experience."

"Tell Kirstein to forget it. You're coming to SC." He grumbled.

Echo swallowed a bite of her grouper entrée before she answered, "I haven't gotten the job yet, or taken the SC exam."

"No clubs." He said, in a terse voice she barely recognized coming from Erwin, a tone that sounded suspiciously like her Nameless Hero's.

He looked annoyed, not at all like the Erwin she knew.

"What's wrong with clubs?"

"Too many horny, drunk men who think they have the right to feel up any waitress they want." He replied, sounding genuinely concerned.

Echo laughed as she dropped the fork on her empty plate. "Seriously? Do you really think any guy is going to fondle me?"

"Yes." He snapped. "In a heartbeat if the opportunity is there. Just go to the interview tomorrow, Echo."

"I'm going." She said, in a calm tone. "Are you okay, Erwin? You're not acting like yourself tonight."

He'd pressured her before about coming to work for his company, but she'd never seen him quite as uptight as he was this evening.

"Am I being a jerk?" He dropped his utensils on his plate and looked at her.

"No. Not really. You just seem…troubled." And he was starting to sound a hell of a lot like Nameless.

Erwin was usually very calm and smiling towards her. But tonight, he seemed like a whole different person.

He let out a masculine sigh. "I'm sorry, Echo. I guess I just have a lot on my mind, and I don't really like the fact that you're hanging out with Kirstein. I don't know him that well, but he's young, and he's been dating a lot of women since he's come back to Arizona. Is it romantic?"

It wasn't really any of Erwin's business what her relationship was with Jean, but she answered him anyway. "No. We've run into each other on the mountain trial a couple of times when he was staying at his parents' house next door. And he's not that young."

Erwin was thirty-six, but now that she thought about it, Jean did seem young next to him. Maybe it wasn't the age, but the experience. Erwin had been heading SC Technologies for the last five years, and had probably been groomed to be in powerful positions since he was young.

"He's been drinking and partying since he dropped out of college, Echo." Erwin warned. "His parents are good friends with Blaire. He's trouble."

"We're just friends." She assured him. "I really don't know him well enough to be familiar with his social habits."

"Keep it that way." He advised. "He drinks way too much, which is probably why he knows so many people at the clubs. And he still hasn't gotten over losing his career in lacrosse. He's not the guy for you."

"I know. He's filthy rich."

Erwin reached out and put his hand over hers on the table. "The money isn't the issue. Any guy would be lucky to have you. But you deserve more than Jean is ever going to give you." He said, huskily.

Echo's heart tripped as she looked into his earnest, gorgeous icy blues. Erwin Smith was easily the hottest guy she'd ever seen, and she couldn't tear her gaze away from his face. It wasn't just his genetics, it was the whole package. Erwin had come to the restaurant from the office, and he rocked the custom suit he was wearing. He looked as comfortable dressed this way as he did in a pair of jeans.

His touch was so familiar. It was somehow comforting. Could he really be her Nameless Hero?

She almost protested when he pulled his hand away.

"Are you dating anybody?" She blurted out the question before she could censor it.

"Barely." He answered matter-of-factly. "I work pretty long hours, and my mind is usually on the company. I wouldn't make any woman a decent husband. And when I do date, they don't usually stay around long enough."

Echo desperately wanted to pour out the whole story about Nameless Hero and see what his reaction would be. He was the logical culprit, but she still couldn't wrap her head around the fact the man sitting across from her could be her Nameless Hero. She was certain that it wasn't Jean. But she kept coming back to the question of why Erwin would ever try to hide his identity. He had no reason to.

In the end, they left the restaurant without her saying a word about Nameless Hero. The thought still seemed so ludicrous to her that she couldn't find the words to ask him if he was the nameless man who had looked out for her over the years. And she didn't want to lose his friendship if she was wrong. Besides Rachel, Erwin was the only person who seemed to care about her.

She was done with Nameless Hero.

Echo knew she needed to forget about him. He'd left her three days ago, and she hadn't heard a word from him since. The crazy obsession she had about his identity had to end. Like she'd told him, she needed friends, not fantasy. She wanted real people in her life.

She hadn't been able to get the money he'd deposited out of her account yet. According to her bank, the payor insisted that they owed her the money, so it was going to be a drawn-out process. What bank wanted to pay back a half million dollars when the person who deposited it claimed the money belonged to her?

Echo forced Nameless from her brain and turned her attention to Erwin.

He was here.

He was real.

And if she was going to spend time with one of the most eligible bachelors in the world, she was damn well going to start enjoying every moment, even if they were just friends for now.

* * *

"You passed the SC test with one of the best scores we've even seen." Erwin shared as he sat across the table from her in the guest house. "If Levi doesn't approve your addition to the robotics team, you're going somewhere else at SC Technologies. We're not letting you get scooped up by anyone else."

It had been several days since Echo's interview. She'd been nervous, but she'd eventually fallen into an enthusiastic discussion with Mike Zacharias, her interviewer and the project manager for the robotics research team. She was pretty sure that he'd been at least slightly impressed with her knowledge on the subject.

Mike had sent her to take the SC test the next day. Erwin had dropped over that evening to give her the results in person. Echo could tell that he'd put in a full day of work, and then some. He looked tired, but still oh-so-gorgeous in his custom suit, even though he'd loosened his tie, and his hair was slightly messy at the end of the day.

"So Levi has the final say?" She asked, her heart racing at the thought of being employed with a technological leader like SC Technologies.

Erwin shrugged. "It's his project and he's personally involved. The brain behind the whole operation, really. But if he doesn't agree, I can place you elsewhere on another team."

Even though Echo didn't know Levi personally, she'd read every scrap of information he'd ever put out about his projects. The man was brilliant.

"I'd love to work for him." She ventured hesitantly.

Erwin's gaze caught her and she saw an uncertainty there. Something she'd never seen in his eyes before. "He's a perfectionist."

Echo nodded. "Me, too. I can handle that."

He raked a hand through his golden locks. "To be honest, he can be a difficult guy to work for." he added.

Her eyes widened. "Why? Because he's a perfectionist? What's wrong with wanting everything to be done right?"

"It's not just that." He said, in a troubled tone.

He was being evasive. She could tell by the way he averted his eyes, and began to stare at the small tumbler of whiskey he'd poured himself but hadn't touched. He'd started leaving a bottle of the heavier stuff at the guest house since he wasn't a wine drinker.

"What is it?" She asked, gently.

"Levi has been through a lot in his lifetime." Erwin finally confided in a gruff tone.

"How so?"

"When he was younger Levi was in the army."

Now that had grabbed Echo's attention. "Really?"

"Yes. And he blames himself for a couple of deaths during that time as well."

"What do you mean?"

"During a mission in Iraq, his team was ordered to ride in the safest areas of formation. However, they were suddenly bombarded by the enemy and forced to change their course." Erwin took a deep breath and let it out before he kept talking. "Shortly afterward, Levi separated from his squad to move on ahead. However, when he made his way back to them, he found that they had all been wiped out. He has never forgiven himself for not separating from his unit. Though I will admit, if I left my squad and they ended up dead knowing I could have done something, I would blame myself too."

"Me, too." Echo said, softly. "It's a natural instinct."

"I told you that he's a perfectionist." He said. "The person he expects perfection from is mostly himself. Always has for as long as I known him. He was always reclusive like he is now. He doesn't laugh. I haven't even once seen him smile during the times I've known him. Maybe I'd be depressed if I'd had to watch my comrade's die, too."

"He watched them die?"

Erwin shook his head slowly. "Apparently one of his fellow soldier's, I believe her name was Isabel Magnolia, was still alive and barely hanging on at the time he made it back to his squad."

Echo closed her eyes for a second, the imagery vision of what Levi must have suffered flashing through the darkness. She quickly opened them again. "So he was too late to get help for her?"

"They got back for her to see a doctor to try and save her, but Isabel died of her injuries soon after."

Echo's heart was aching for Levi. "What happened after that?"

Erwin shot her a sad grin. "He left the army and about a few years later and started working at SC Technologies and climbed the later with a vengeance. It's like he's been on a mission to take over the entire world. But that's all he does."

Echo frowned. "You said he's reclusive. But he's never home in Tucson."

"He has private homes all over the world. A private jet, private drivers, when he's here, he runs his part of the company from his home office and barely comes in, unless he has to. I think it's the damage that was done that keeps him solitary now. He lives only for SC. I think he's trying to make up for his past mistakes and try to bury himself in his work to have him forget what happened."

Erwin took a sip from his glass. "I'm telling you all this so you know what you're going into. Levi is driven like he's trying to exorcise his demons on this robotics project. He's a pain in the ass to work for, and most people just can't handle his personality. They're scared of him. For all the breakthroughs we've had in the technology, he's still never happy."

She shot him a small smile. "It's not perfected yet, so he's probably frustrated."

He shot her a skeptical look. "He's beyond frustrated."

"Maybe when he comes back, I can help him out. Cook for him or something. I know I need to move out, but what if I'm still here when he returns? Isn't there something I could do?"

His eyes shot to her face again. "When he gets home? He is home. When he got in last night, he called me, and the light is on in his office. I saw it when I got here. I told him I wanted to stop by, but he said he was busy."

"Oh, no. Do you think he's mad because I'm still here?" She didn't want to cause more trouble than there already was with the man.

Erwin shook his head. "He's not mad. I convinced him to let you stay here, and he didn't have any problems since he keeps to himself. I know I personally haven't talked to you much and now that I am getting to know you better, I really want you to think of me as a friend."

Her heart skittered. "Is that what you want? A friend?" She stood up, her entire body tense and she fumbled to get another glass of wine.

"I'd love it if you'd just trust me enough to let me be a friend to you. Someone you can rely on." He answered.

Her hand shook at little as she refilled her glass, and put the wine clumsily back into the fridge. Echo turned, and she finally saw the truth in Erwin's eyes. They were warm now and adoring. But not in the way that a guy looks at a woman he desires. He was looking at her like she was a female he wanted to take under his wing and protect her.

"You're not my Nameless." She said, in a tremulous voice.

"Nameless? Who's Nameless?" He asked, shortly.

If she hadn't been so disheartened and sad, Echo probably would've laughed. He was concerned, and completely focused on her with a huge frown. But in that moment, it was plain to see that he wasn't worried about her as a woman he had any sexual interest in. Erwin Smith looked outraged, but he was pissed off like the protector he really wanted to be.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scoot. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

Echo actually breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind Erwin an hour later. After she had said something about her Nameless Hero, Erwin had hounded her for another hour about it, but she'd found herself trying to explain it away as a joke. For the most part, the diversion had worked. He'd been reluctant to let it go, but he'd finally just accepted that her sense of humor was slightly warped at times.

"It's not him." She said out loud, as she made her way back to the kitchen.

Honestly, she was feeling pretty embarrassed and more than slightly naïve that she hadn't recognize his concern for what it was...he'd been worried about her like a friend would.

"How could I have been so stupid?"

Maybe because she'd never really had a man who was interested in her as a woman. Really, she had never caught any man's attention at all. She didn't have family, so she really didn't know what it was like to have somebody be concerned about her as an adult except Rachel.

"Erwin only sees me as a friend." Strangely, the longer Echo thought about that, the more she didn't really mind it.

Sure, she'd had a crush on him, but what woman wouldn't if he turned his head their direction? Physically, he was an Adonis, but the spark she should've felt had never quite been there. She liked Erwin, she liked him a lot, but he'd never been the star of her sexual fantasies. That man was an unknown face with a powerful body, he was her nameless. The very same man who she'd been determined to put out of her mind forever.

Nameless Hero hadn't contacted her in any way since their last conversation, and she needed to keep it that way. Erwin had formally offered her a job before he left, and she was going to take it. She wanted to be involved with the things SC was doing for technology. Echo wanted her life to change. She was ready to be Erwin's friend and comrade to him if that's what he wanted.

She was ready to take a chance on letting people into her life, even though her father never wanted her to be his daughter. Erwin was right. Sometimes, it was better to choose who they wanted to be family rather than counting on the ones who were actually blood.

Echo grabbed an orange from the fridge, and unpeeled it over the sink. She was still walking every day, but she hadn't run into Jean again, which hadn't really disappointed her. He wasn't what she wanted. She'd been flattered that he'd been interested in her, but the spark wasn't there, either.

She popped a piece of the orange into her mouth as she stared at the big house. Echo had a perfect view of it from the kitchen window, but she hadn't noticed that there was another light on, one that wasn't remote controlled like the rest of them probably were. Until now, the same ones had come on every evening, and they went off in the morning. But now she recognized that a few of them were different, that there was illumination bursting from a window that hadn't been lit up before.

"He's home." She mumbled as she stared.

Her heart still ached for Levi Ackerman after she heard his story. Was there anything she could do to help him? Wouldn't she be better off focusing on making a difference in somebody's life who needed it? Levi had let her stay in his guesthouse, and he'd didn't even know her. Echo wanted to do something for him, and she really did want to thank him for helping her out. Now that she was going to have a decent job, she could move out. But her unknown housemate had helped her when she hadn't had anywhere else to go.

Echo sighed as she polished off her piece of fruit and looked at the clock. It was almost ten. Did she really want to introduce herself to him this late in the evening? His office light was still on. As usual, she debated and fretted about it until it was almost too late to go over to Levi's home and say hello.

"I need to just go. It's not like he doesn't know I'm still here." Echo told herself, encouragingly.

Maybe she wouldn't get the warmest of receptions from him, but if she was determined to change, she needed to stop reacting to something that hadn't even happened yet. And if she was going to work in the professional world, she had to start learning to let things roll off her back.

As Echo put on a pair of sandals, she reminded myself that she hadn't suffered from another panic attack since the night of her father's funeral. Her daily walks helped, and now that she was going to be employed, she planned on joining a yoga class that Rachel was teaching on the side. She'd be able to afford it. Doing yoga had been recommended by her therapist years ago, but she'd never had the time or the money to sign up and learn.

Echo took a deep breath, and then released it. She could change her life if she wanted to, and she did want to—desperately. She'd just needed to get past the disappointment of learning that her father had never given a damn about her. She couldn't change how her parent had felt, but she could change how she reacted to that fact. It had been her father's issue, not Echo's.

She grabbed her keys, and then locked the door behind her. The lovely breeze that wafted over her as she exited the guest house brought her a calm that she hadn't experienced in a very long time.

There was enough light on the path between the guest house and the mansion, so it wasn't difficult to find her way to the big front door. As Echo stood there for a minute, she realized that she probably could've changed out of the shorts and t-shirt she was wearing. But she doubted Levi gave a damn about her attire.

Echo rang the doorbell before she could change her mind and scurry back to the guest house. Erwin had made Levi sound like an ogre, but she was pretty sure he couldn't be that bad if he still had people who cared that much about him. Besides, Echo was patient. It was one of her better attributes, and she was determined to find a way into Levi's life. Maybe she was no expert on trauma, but she knew what it was like to be alone. It sucked.

She folded her arms in front of her as she waited. There was no real sound coming from inside the house, and it didn't appear like anybody was coming to answer the door.

One minute passed.

And then a few more.

Echo rang the doorbell again.

Still…nothing.

He was home. He had to be. Erwin said he was. Where in the hell would he go?

Uncharacteristically, she stood her ground. If she wanted to eventually be part of Levi's team, she was going to have to learn how to deal with him. She nearly flinched when she heard the heavy sound of the deadbolt flipping open, and the door flew open.

"When you ring the doorbell once, and nobody answers, it's a fairly good indicator that whoever is inside isn't interested in talking to you." A low, well-modulated voice said in a cool tone.

Echo noted that the voice held absolutely no emotion except for a heavy disdain. Her eyes took in the guy's pure well-developed masculine form. She didn't see an ounce of fat on him as he stood before her in just a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He was on the short side, only a few inches taller than her, but still, his aura and presence was intimidating. But it was his face that really had her wanting to run. He looked so emotionless, especially in his eyes. They might've been a beautiful gray if they weren't completely cold and lifeless in a way that would frighten the hell out of almost anyone who saw him.

'Don't back down!' She pepped herself, internally. Instinct told her that Levi wouldn't respect somebody who didn't have some grit.

She forced herself to smile and hold her hand out to him. "Nice meeting you, too." She finally answered. "I'm Echo. I wanted to thank you for putting me up in the guest house when I needed a place to stay."

"You should've stayed in the guest house." He rumbled, ignoring the hand of greeting that was offered. "Go back."

She was taken aback when he turned from the door and walked back inside without another word.

Holy crap! He was angry. But he wasn't mad at her. Something told Echo that Levi was pissed off at the entire world. The short encounter had left her shaken. It wasn't totally because he scared the hell out of her, which he did, but a part of her was intrigued, curious, and just a little concerned.

When she turned to leave, she noticed that the door was still cracked open. Was it a sign? A subconscious invitation of some kind? Thinking about his flat expression told her no. But even though her heart was thundering in her ears, it was urging Echo forward.

'Don't back down!' Against her logical judgment, she pushed the door open, and stepped inside with all her adrenaline coursing through her body.

Echo had never been a thrill seeker, but as she entered the house, and quietly closed the door behind her, she'd never felt more alive. To hell with the consequences, she was going to confront Levi Ackerman, and get to know him—whether he wanted that or not.

"Levi?" Echo called out his name as she came through the front entrance.

Her newfound courage was a little shaky, but she was determined to get to know the man who gave her a place to stay, even if she did have to invite herself into his home. He didn't answer, and Echo experienced a moment of hesitation. He didn't want her here, and honestly, she wasn't sure that she wanted to be forcing herself into his presence, either. She moved forward, determined to ignore her misgivings. Levi had been there to help her when she'd really needed it by letting her in his guest house. A man that thoughtful couldn't really be all that bad, right? And it made her want to reach out and help him, too.

Erwin had told her that Levi was pretty much a recluse. He probably needed a friend, even though he may not recognize that fact. She started as she heard a loud noise come from across the house.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

It sounded like somebody was taking the home apart, piece-by-piece. Echo knew she should be running away, but something beckoned her to move toward the sound. She stopped when she could finally see that Levi was apparently frustrated in the kitchen, and seemed to be tearing the room apart.

"Son of a bitch!" He cursed in a loud baritone as he moved a pot from the stove, slamming it on the counter.

The house had an open concept, and Echo could watch him from a distance, but because he sounded so annoyed, she kept walking, curious to see what the matter was.

"Can I help?" She asked, softly from the kitchen island.

The room was a disaster area. She was pretty sure that every pan in the house was currently stacked in his sink, and the counters were littered with dirty utensils. Echo wasn't sure what the multiple dark spots were on the granite, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

He whipped around and finally saw her standing there, their bodies separated by the island.

"I told you to go back to the guest house." He growled.

She shrugged. "You left the door open."

His eyes were wild, and he looked like an imprisoned feral animal that didn't know who to trust. Maybe he appeared to be fierce, but Echo preferred his current expression of frustration to the icy one he'd shown her at the door. At least his eyes look more alive than dead.

"Do you always break into people's houses when they're unlocked?" He asked, sounding disgusted.

Echo shook her head. "No. I think this is a first for me. Do you need help?"

"No." He denied. "Just go."

She ignored him, skirting the island until she was close to him at the stove. "You look like you do." She pointed out. "What's wrong?"

Looking into the pot he'd just removed from the stove, she was reassured that he had no idea what he was doing.

"I waited too late to eat." He grumbled. "My chef is in the hospital, so I'm not getting my meals delivered. And it's too late to order out."

"So now you're hungry and you can't cook." She concluded.

Really, even though the man looked ferocious, there was something so normal about his irritation in the kitchen. Echo had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Man versus kitchen, and the room was obviously winning? At the moment, Levi was much more approachable, even if he was pissed off.

"I can cook." She told him, as she went to the sink to clean the dirty pots. "What would you like?"

He didn't say anything. He simply waved her out of the way so he could take over. "I know how to wash dishes." He rumbled.

"Then I'll cook." Echo said, as she opened the refrigerator to see what kind of food he had available.

"I thought I told you to leave." He said, angrily.

"You did, but I'm hungry, too. Though sadly, you aren't exactly well stocked on groceries, either." She mused. "But you do have pasta and spaghetti sauce. I can make it work. Do you like spaghetti?"

He was quiet for a moment before he answered. "Haven't had it in a long time."

Echo took his words to mean that he liked it, but just hadn't eaten it for a while. She snatched the stuff from the cupboard. "Then spaghetti it is."

He rinsed the last pot, and set it on the towel near the sink to dry with the others, and then turned to watch her. "Why are you still here? I told you to leave."

"After we eat, I'll go." She said, lightly. "You can put up with me for that long, right? You won't be hungry anymore."

The man was frightening, and if she hadn't been able to hear a slight hint of vulnerability in his voice, she'd probably be hightailing it out of his mansion so fast he'd never see her leave. But Echo had heard it and she couldn't walk away. He was lonely. Maybe he'd never admit it, but he didn't have to. It wasn't hard for her to recognize a person who felt isolated since she'd felt that way for years now. Even with all his defensives up, she could sense that he wasn't solitary by choice. Too bad his ferocious attitude probably scared most people away.

He finally answered. "I'm not quite sure what's worse: having you in my kitchen, or being ravenously hungry." He answered, bluntly.

If Echo didn't know he was coming from a place of pain, she would've been crushed. But she wasn't about to cave in because he was being an asshole. Men that were truly bad and narcissistic wouldn't have given a damn whether or not she'd had a place to stay. Sometimes actions really were louder than words.

She busied herself getting stuff into pots as she said quietly. "Thank you for letting me stay in the guest house. I really had nowhere else to go."

"It wasn't exactly an imposition until now." He answered. "Nobody was staying there."

"So it's inconvenient now that I've come to introduce myself?"

"Extremely." He answered, gruffly.

"I'm feeding you." She argued.

"If you expect my gratitude, then you can keep waiting for it. You're the one who decided to invite yourself in."

"I'm not looking for a thank you." She shared. "I'm just trying to return a favor in some small way."

"So you're here because you feel indebted?" He questioned.

She let out an exasperated sigh as she looked at him. "I'm here because I really want to be."

Their eyes met in challenge. "Why in the hell would you want to be here?" He asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

"Maybe I think it's better than being all alone in the guest house." She replied, honestly. And really, sparring with Levi actually was much better than being alone.

"I think I'd rather be by myself." He said, unhappily.

Echo ignored him as she prepared the pasta, and started making some garlic bread. Not only did she want to make a friend out of him, but she also wanted to work for him on the robotics team. So she refused to give up just because he was being surly. Her guess was that he hadn't needed to be polite in a long time. She could feel his eyes on her as she worked, but he was silent.

He didn't speak until they finally sat down with their plates at the kitchen table.

"It's good." He rumbled.

Echo smiled as she watched him devour the heaping plate of food in record time.

She took a sip of the wine he'd poured for her. "I'd be happy to fill in for your chef until they come back. Even when I move—"

"You're not moving." He interrupted.

"I am." She informed him. "If I end up working at SC, I'll be able to get out of your guest house, but I could still come and make dinner at night."

"You can stay in the guest house." He said, stubbornly.

"But you hate me being around."

He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just not used to it. But if you're going to work on the robotics project, we'll have to work together. You're going to need guidance since you have no experience. I've looked at your recommendations and your resume. Even though your work is impressive and your scores on the SC exams are off the charts, you're still green."

"I learn really fast." She said, eagerly.

"You'll learn from me." He said, arrogantly. "So you'll stay in the guest house because it's convenient since I work from home. You'll start as my assistant, and we'll see how it goes."

Echo was quiet, and momentarily stunned. She never imagined she'd be working that closely with him, even though she wasn't exactly disappointed. Having him as a mentor was like a dream come true. He was the brain behind the whole area of robotics study and had been a pioneer.

"How do you work without a lab here?" There was so much equipment involved in robotics, but she knew that SC Technologies had a state of the research facility at their headquarters in Phoenix.

"I have a lab here." He answered, testily. "I'm generally only working on one problem at a time, so it's big enough. I do go work in the research facility if I have to."

"But you don't like going out?" Echo asked.

"Only when necessary." He answered, brusquely.

She wanted to ask him why he needed to be so secluded, but she stopped myself. The last thing she wanted was to push too hard. "Thank you for the opportunity." She said, sincerely. She was more than willing to start as an assistant. "But if I'm staying at the guest house, I'd like to compensate you somehow."

He stood up. "You can cook. Now, I'm going back to work. I'll walk you back to the guest house before I do."

She'd just been thoroughly dismissed. Maybe Echo should've been offended. But as he walked her back to her temporary home, his words felt so much like a small victory.

* * *

BlueMoon Goddess: And Levi finally makes his appearance! Since he's finally stepped onto the scene, things are just going to get even better in this story. The next chapter will be up in my two week schedule and like always, until next time! ^_^


	9. Chapter 9

BlueMoon Goddess: I hope everyone is doing alright and being safe in this time of crisis. I know everyone is probably taking this a bit hard and hopefully this chapter can take your mind off of what's happening, for only a little bit.

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Levi and Echo had developed a routine. She got to his place early every morning so she could cook breakfast, a task that he didn't necessarily want her to do, but she noticed he had no problem eating the food she cooked. They were in the lab all day, breaking only for a sandwich or a light lunch. And at exactly five o'clock every afternoon, he made her stop working. She made dinner, they ate, and she went back to the guest house.

It was the same thing every single day, and sadly, Echo didn't feel like she knew Levi any better than she had the first time she'd met him after two weeks of being together more than eight hours a day. However, he did seem happy with the progress they were making on their current project, and she was learning so much from him.

Really, the trade-off was probably far from fair. All Echo did was cook a little, but he didn't seem to mind. Maybe she didn't push hard enough to get more personal with him, to become the friend she'd hoped she could be. Echo wasn't exactly scared of him. Or intimidated by anything except his endless knowledge. Yet, there was something about Levi Ackerman that always set Echo on edge. She was always aware of him. He exuded a presence that both fascinated and unnerved her.

However, it was his broody, often irritated personality that was the real challenge. She couldn't seem to break through the top layers of his defenses to explore what was really inside him. Pain radiated from his soul so freely that she could feel it in the air around them when they were working, and when they weren't.

It made Echo want to reach out to him, but she was wary. Levi was so self-reliant, so guarded, that she wasn't sure she could even reach the man beneath the scars. But she wanted to. Desperately. She was drawn to him for some reason she couldn't explain. She didn't want to be, but she couldn't seem to stop the strange attraction.

Echo sighed as she watched him grill steaks and baked potatoes from her seat on his patio. He was cooking for once, claiming that he was a master at the barbeque grill. Levi wasn't more than ten feet away from her, but he seemed so damn far away.

Honestly, she didn't need to be there since he was making his own dinner. But he seemed to expect her to stay for some reason. So she watched him, noticing how gracefully he moved for a guy like himself.

Finally, she shook herself out of her trance. "I'll set the table." She told him, as she got up to get some plates and silverware.

"We can eat out here." Levi said abruptly, making it an order instead of a suggestion.

Not that she minded. It was a nice evening.

"Okay." Echo agreed as she scurried inside and grabbed what they needed.

She was getting used to Levi's plain way of speaking, and his bossy tendencies. She suspected they weren't so much intentionally off-putting, but rather his way of defending himself.

When she'd finished setting the table, she poured them both a glass of iced tea that she'd made earlier.

"Do you want me to make a salad?"

"No." He answered in a neutral tone.

She didn't want one, either, so she shrugged and sat back down on one of the chairs at the outdoor table.

Trying to keep her eyes off Levi, she looked around his beautiful outdoor entertainment area. His gigantic pool looked so enticing that she wanted to dive in to cool herself off, and then slip into the big in-ground hot tub next to it. It was the sort of outdoor area that a person could lose themselves in after a long day. Unfortunately, she knew that wasn't going to happen with Levi. He'd be back to work the minute she left the mansion, and she was starting to think he did little else but work.

Once dinner was on the table, and they were seated ourselves across from each other, she asked. "Do you ever use this amazing swimming pool?"

"Never." He confirmed.

"Then why do you have it?"

He shrugged. "Arizona mansions have a pool and hot tub. It was here when I bought the place."

They both attacked their steak and potatoes, and they were silent while they ate. But as soon as she'd finished, she asked. "What do you do other than work?"

Echo knew that Erwin liked movies, getting out on his boat as much as possible, and trying out new restaurants. Maybe she didn't know all of Erwin's interests, but she knew he did things other than work.

"Nothing." Levi stated bluntly. "My work is all-consuming."

Maybe technology was intense at times, but there was more to life than research. Echo was pretty sure it was that way for Levi because he wanted it to be.

"Studies show that people are more productive when they have some balance in their lives." She mentioned. "Maybe you should try not working occasionally."

"What else am I going to do?" He asked as he raised his steely eyes to her face.

"Go out to dinner? Spend time with friends or pursue your personal interests?" She suggested. "Make time to…date?"

Oh God, why did it pain her to think about Levi going out with some blonde supermodel type of woman that he probably preferred?

"I don't have time for women or friends." He growled.

"Nobody does. You have to make time."

He let his utensils drop onto his plate with a loud clang. "My friends." He said bitterly. "My closest friends died years ago, and some stopped contacting me when they couldn't deal with my shit anymore. And do you really think any woman would want to go out with me for anything other than my money? I'm emotionally unavailable and most can't stand being around me. Though I must say that you seem to not be scared in any shape or form."

A lightbulb went on in her head. "Is that why you stay here most of the time instead of going in to the headquarters?"

He glared at her for a moment before he nodded stiffly. "I've seen the way people react, even when they try to hide it."

She snorted. "You're rather terrifying, to a certain degree, I'll admit."

It was probably one of the most personal things Echo'd ever said to him, but she wasn't about to give up now that she knew he kept away from people because he didn't want to inflict his pain on them. Her heart ached because he saw himself as some kind of beast because of them.

He gave her a grim, puzzled look that made her heart squeeze inside her chest.

"What do you mean?" He questioned.

'Did I really need to tell him that he probably came off as frightening to his employees because of his demeanor?' She thought.

"You're abrupt to the point of rudeness." Echo said. "You're a perfectionist, so you expect everyone else to be as work obsessed as you are, and that isn't the way most people live their lives. They have other interests, and they want to be seen as people rather than just a work machine."

"I pay them well." He said flatly. "They have good benefits, and plenty of time off to pursue their other interests."

She released an exasperated sigh. "I've been working for you for two weeks now. And never once have you said 'good morning' or smiled at me in the mornings. And you barely acknowledge me when I leave at night. You're too busy or distracted with other things to even acknowledge me as a person. Some people would find you pretty scary. Almost inhuman."

His eyes bored into hers. "Is that what you think? Does that bother you?"

She shook her head slowly. "No…not anymore. But I was pretty intimidated in the beginning. I'm sure people at the office feel that way, too. It's pretty obvious why people are afraid of you. You're like a force of nature. So intense that it's pretty daunting for us normal people."

"You're just as driven as I am." He accused.

Sometimes Echo was intent on her work, and if she got on a roll, she didn't want to stop. But she did, eventually, because a person could only obsess over something for so long without driving themselves crazy. "Guilty. Sometimes." She admitted. "But not like you."

"I'm not exactly a chatty kind of guy." He rumbled. "Never have been."

"You don't have to be a charmer." She mused. "But you could pull outside yourself enough to notice some things about other people once in a while."

He leaned back and crossed his arms across his broad chest. "I notice things. I know things about you."

She lifted a brow. "What?"

"You hate peas." He stated.

He was right. She'd made them for him, but she hadn't touched a single one. Echo guessed Levi had noticed.

He continued. "You like books and literature, but prefer to listen to them as audiobooks because you can do other tasks while you do."

Another truth. She found it interesting that he'd actually paid attention to the fact that she sometimes had her earbuds in her ears when she got to work.

"How did you know I was listening to a book?" Echo questioned.

"I saw it on your phone when you set it on the counter."

So he did notice things. He just never bothered to bring up a conversation about any of the stuff he observed.

"Okay, so I'm an open book." She said. Maybe she wasn't all that talky, but he had picked up on subtle clues. Echo knew next to nothing about him because he made sure there was nothing there to see. "Tell me one thing about yourself." She challenged.

Levi's intense gaze locked with hers as he ground out. "You don't want to know who I really am. There's not a single redeeming quality here if that's what you're looking for." He thumped his chest. "Give it up, woman."

It was a warning that made her pause. Knowing Levi could be dangerous. She felt it. But it was almost impossible for her not to try. The fierceness of his expression muted her. Problem was, he didn't trust her yet. But he would. She was determined that he would.

Echo nodded silently, got up, and started clearing the table without another challenge.

"You can use the pool and hot tub any time you want." He said. "There's a side entrance. You have a key in the guest house. I guess I'm starting to get used to having you around."

She smiled when her back was toward him, knowing that was as much of a concession as she was going to get from him…for now.

* * *

"He's lonely, Rachel. I can sense it." Echo told her best friend later that evening as they sat at the kitchen table of the guest house with a glass of wine.

Rachel rolled her eyes with a cynical expression. "Levi Ackerman is a billionaire, Ech. I don't really think he can be all that miserable.

She thought for a moment. "He doesn't do what he does for the money." She pondered. "He's driven by something else. Being wealthy is a convenience I'm sure he appreciates because it allows him to be solitary. But what's bothering him can't be solved with money. I believe that Erwin was right when he said Levi was tortured about leaving his friends behind when he served. He thinks it's his fault and he keeps to himself because he's silently punishing himself for not being able to save them."

"Most people who experienced trauma like that usually are able to see a therapist. Has he ever thought about seeing someone?" Rachel asked her.

"Probably not. From his personality, I don't think he bothered trying to see someone, and I think at this point he doesn't need a therapist."

"Then what does he need?" Rachel asked curiously.

Echo shrugged. "Someone who understand him."

"And would that someone be you?"

Echo let out a sound of disgust. "Apparently." She admitted. "I sense the way he's feeling, even when his actions are totally different on the surface. He acts like he feels nothing but driven to develop technology. But he wants more, even though he won't acknowledge it. I don't think he believes he deserves more."

"No offense, Ech, but the last thing you need is a tormented male in your life. And has it ever occurred to you that Levi could be your Nameless Hero?"

Echo was silent as she considered her friends' question. The thought had crossed her mind, only to be soundly discarded. Even though they both had a low, sexy baritone, Nameless and Levi were worlds apart in the tone of their voices. Nameless had always sounded…passionate. But Levi was gruff and as unaffected as she'd heard a guy sound. They were nothing alike.

Echo finally shook her head. "They don't sound the same. And it wouldn't make sense. Levi and I have never even met until recently."

"Just be careful, Ech." Rachel warned. "You're just starting to relax and enjoy your life now that you have a good job. And Levi Ackerman, no matter how tortured, is your boss."

Echo nodded. "I know. But no matter how big of a jerk he can be, I like him."

"If some other woman told you that, you'd tell them to run away as fast as possible."

Her friend was right. If Rachel had told her she liked a guy who was a jerk, Echo would be warning her away, too. But Levi was different. She had a feeling he didn't mean to be abrupt. He was just too used to being alone.

"He gave me a place to live when I had nowhere to go." Echo reminded her softly. "And he gave me a job when nobody else would. Maybe Erwin encouraged me to apply, but it was Levi who took that leap of faith and employed a new grad."

"There is that." Rachel said reluctantly. "I guess he can't be all bad."

"He's not." Echo said emphatically.

"Obviously, he has a heart somewhere beneath his workaholic exterior." Rachel mused. "But please don't kill yourself to find it. After all you've been through, you deserve a man who cares for you, Echo. Obviously, openly, you deserve a guy who adores you, not one who locks his emotions away."

"I'm not exactly looking at him as boyfriend material." Echo scoffed. "Number one, I highly doubt that Levi would ever lust after me. And number two, he is my boss. I guess I was just hoping I could be his friend. I've developed a good friendship with Erwin, so I figured the same could go for Levi."

Since she'd started working, she didn't see Erwin as much as she used to, but he still stopped by occasionally, and they'd had dinner once or twice to catch up. He texted often though, just checking on how work with Levi was going. Slowly, she'd started to look at Erwin as the older brother she'd never had. And he seemed pretty damn happy about that. It felt good to finally have another person who cared about her.

"Are you attracted to Levi?" Rachel asked.

Echo slowly shook her head. "Not exactly."

She didn't know how to explain her fascination with Levi. She was drawn to him like a moth to a lethal flame. She wanted to be near him. She wanted him to talk to her, open up. Sure, he was gorgeous, and he exuded some kind of mysterious male pheromones that lured her closer. But they'd never been close enough to touch, but my natural instinct was to want to soothe every wound he'd ever had. However, Levi made Echo incredibly edgy for some reason, even though she was drawn to him. She wouldn't exactly call that lust.

"And what about Nameless?" Rachel asked.

Echo's heart flip-flopped. "We haven't communicated, but I need to speak to him about the money he put in my account. Turns out, wire transfers are hard to reverse." She mumbled.

"They won't give him the money back?"

"No." She groaned. "I've practically begged my bank to send it back, but they need Nameless' okay before they do. Apparently, he's adamant that he meant to send it, and won't take it back."

Rachel shrugged. "Then keep it."

Echo sent her a skeptical look. "You wouldn't say that if it happened to you."

Rachel would have the same reaction she'd had. She'd worked and scraped for everything she'd ever accomplished in her life. She had since she was a child.

"I suppose not." She confessed. "But a half-million dollars is a lot of money, Ech."

"It doesn't belong to me." Echo stated. "I can't possibly take that money and you know it."

"A lot of women would." She argued.

"I'm not them." She replied. "I don't even know that the money was legally earned. What if it's dirty money?"

The funds could have come from any ugly business—like drugs, human trafficking, or even a damn hit man. Even though her mind screamed at her that it wasn't from any of those things, the fact was…Echo didn't know Nameless. She had no idea what he did, or where that money had come from. Not that she could ever take money that wasn't hers, but the possible sources made her shudder.

"You really do need to figure out who he is." Rachel said. "And why he gave you that much money."

Echo snorted. "It's not like I haven't tried everything legally possible to figure out his identity."

"If you really want to get rid of that money, maybe you should talk to him. I'm not suggesting you should meet up or something. Just try to get him to trust you enough to reveal himself."

"I might not have a choice." She agreed.

"You're hurt that he won't trust you enough to tell you who he really is." Rachel observed.

Echo's heart squeezed. "I am. And then sometimes I'm not sure I want to know. My head has to know, but I guess I don't want to find out he's married with a bunch of kids, and was just using me to amuse himself for a while. He's obviously rich, probably married, or a criminal who has a lot of funds from illegal activities."

Neither one of those choices were going to make her happy about giving her virginity away to him. But Echo had have to forgive herself for it either way. She'd been lost after her father's death, even though they hadn't been close.

Echo had her head on a lot straighter than she had right after her father had passed. She'd been an emotional mess, and Nameless had been there for her at the time, had made some of the pain go away. Now that she was back to normal, she could look back and see why she'd been with him. He'd made her feel safe, and she'd needed an escape.

She wasn't going to lie to herself and say it had been completely wrong when it had felt so damn right at the time. However, it wasn't a mistake she wanted to repeat. Nameless wasn't hers. He never could be. She'd simply borrowed him to ease a pain she hadn't been able to bear. Her heart still ached for those stolen moments of pleasure she'd experienced. But she had to move on. Whoever he was, the guy didn't even trust her enough to tell her his identity. Maybe Echo's weakness had been forgivable when she'd been emotionally reeling.

Now that she was putting things back together, he was toxic because her body was weak when it came to him, but her mind had to be strong or she'd end up hating herself for ever being with him again.

"What if he's not married, and he's legally wealthy?" Rachel asked.

Echo eyed her, confused. "Are you saying that you'd actually support me having a relationship with the guy?"

"Hell, no!" She answered vehemently. "I want him to take his damn money back, and let you move on with your life. I was just playing the devil's advocate. You're in a good place now, Ech. I just want to see you happy."

Her tone was so sincere that tears welled up in Echo's eyes. "I am happy." She assured her. "I have the job I've always wanted. I wake up to a breathtaking view in the morning in a house I never thought I could afford. Maybe I suck at yoga, but I'm learning how to find some inner peace."

Rachel let out a startled laugh. "You're doing fine in the class."

Echo rolled her eyes. "My body just doesn't always want to bend the right way, but I'm learning."

She'd started her class last week, and she'd attended again earlier in the evening. While Rachel might be graceful and flexible, her form wasn't slender, and as cooperative as hers. Still, it didn't really matter all that much.

"It takes practice." Rachel said in a calming tone.

"I'll be there next week." Echo told her. "I'm not giving up."

She nodded and then stood. "Good. I have to run. But don't let anything get you down, Echo. You're doing so well, and I'm so glad you're in a better place."

It touched her that even though Rachel wasn't where she wanted to be personally, she wanted her to be happy. Her best friend might be cynical at times, but her heart had always been pure gold.

"Thanks." She stood up and hugged her. "Are you still having a hard time? I could help you now—"

"Not happening." She interrupted as she squeezed her before moving away. "I'm fine. I just have a boss who's a dick. I don't plan on working for him forever."

Echo looked at her solemnly. "You sure?"

Rachel was proud, so sometimes it was hard to gauge exactly where her friend was financially sometimes. Her bestie would open her wallet for a friend, even when she only had her last penny to give. She worked fulltime, but her boss was a jerk, so Echo was doubtful that he paid her well, even though he practically required her to give up her entire life for her job. She was pretty much at his beck and call every minute of every day.

Echo wasn't exactly flush, but she'd gotten her first paycheck, and she wasn't paying rent because Levi flatly refused to take any money for the guest house. He called it a company perk. She needed clothes and some other things, but they could all wait if her friend needed help.

"I'm fine, Ech." She reassured her. "I'm not taking a cent of your hard-earned money. I don't need it. And it sounds like you have the boss from hell, too."

Honestly, Echo didn't. Or maybe she just didn't think of Levi that way.

Rachel left after telling her she'd text her when she got home safe. She locked the door, and went back to the table to sit. She picked up her cell phone, staring at it with a frown for a moment before she did what she had to do.

Echo texted fast, and then sent it before she could change her mind.

**Echo: The bank won't reverse the transfer you made without your permission. Please take it back. **

She held her breath, not even knowing if Nameless would answer. But she knew she couldn't let the money situation go on and on. She needed that ridiculous amount of money gone so she could move on with her life.

**Nameless Hero: No.**

One word? That was it? Just a no?

She was angry as she typed a reply.

**Echo: It'll just sit there unused. I don't take money that doesn't belong to me. Maybe I did use your money when I thought my father had sent it. But I won't use yours now that I know the truth. **

**Nameless Hero: I can live with that. It'll always be there if you need it. I'll know you're safer because you won't lack funds.**

**Echo: I have a good job now. I'm fine. **

**Nameless Hero: Do you like the job?**

She was caught off-guard. She certainly hadn't expected the question.

**Echo: Yes. I feel like I'm accomplishing something important. It's the job I always wanted.**

**Nameless Hero: Where?**

She saw no reason not to tell him. It wasn't like he didn't know where she lived, and he didn't come around uninvited.

**Echo: SC Technologies. I started entry level, but I hope to advance eventually. I'm Levi Ackerman's research assistant. **

**Nameless Hero: Heard he's an asshole.**

Echo stared at his statement, dumbfounded. And just a little bit angrier.

**Echo: He's not. He's actually brilliant. **

**Nameless Hero: Is he?**

**Echo: Yes!**

**Nameless Hero: All I want is for you to be safe and happy, Echo.**

**Echo: If that's what you want, take your money back. That would make me happy. I'm taking care of myself. **

Really, Echo was making an absolutely ridiculous wage for a research assistant. But when she'd questioned her salary, she'd realized that Levi had never had a dedicated assistant, so there was really no position to compare it to. It was a unique job. But the salary was high, and getting waterfront accommodations on top of the salary and benefits was over-the-top. It made her determined to be worthy of Levi's trust. And dammit, she'd always be loyal to him because he was giving her a chance.

**Nameless Hero: Would it really make you happy if I took the money back? **

Her heart tripped. As much as she could fault what Nameless was doing, he really did seem concerned about her welfare.

**Echo: Yes. Very happy. No matter what happens, I could never spend money that I hadn't earned, and don't know the source of. **

**Nameless Hero: It was a graduation gift from me.**

**Echo: Who are you? I don't take gifts from strangers.**

She knew he wouldn't answer, but she had to try.

**Nameless Hero: I'm the man who has always made sure you were okay because nobody else did.**

**Echo: So you consider yourself my protector?**

**Nameless Hero: Always have.**

Echo's eyes were teary as she stared at his words. He had been her protector when she'd had none. When she'd been all alone at a young age, away from her home state, and starting college in a whole new world without her mother in it anymore.

Maybe Nameless and her hadn't spoken much, but she'd always known he was on the other end of the phone if she needed him. Okay, back then she'd thought her father would be available if she needed him. But he hadn't been. And this stranger had stepped in when her own parent hadn't.

**Echo: What do you want from me? I don't understand. Did you know me back in high school? Please. I need to know. I had sex with you. It messes with my head not to know anything. Are you married? A criminal? You can tell me. I'm grown up enough to deal with it now. But what I can't stand is the not knowing after we've been intimate. Nobody has that much money to toss into someone's bank account unless they're independently wealthy or a felon. **

She sent the text, slamming her finger on the send button desperately. And there was nothing from his end. Echo was pretty sure he'd been backing away, unwilling to answer, until his next text popped up and her heart raced as she started reading it.

**Nameless Hero: What can I do to convince you that I'm not married, and I'm not a criminal? I'll be as candid as I can. My intention has never been to hurt you, my fiery ember. Not ever. **

Her heart galloped.

**Echo: Tell me how we met?**

It took a while to get his answer.

**Nameless Hero: We didn't know each other well when you were in high school. I noticed you, but you never noticed me, nor should you have. I know someone who knew your mother. That's how I knew about your situation. That's why I wanted to help. I'm not a damn criminal. I'm wealthy, but my money is made legitimately. What man would give a woman they're trying to help dirty money? Be reasonable, Echo. I helped you get an education. Would I want you to immediately get in trouble because of money laundering or dirty money? Granted, I should've given you more when you were in college. But I trusted someone else to send funds and decide the amount, someone who had no idea how expensive it was to live on the West Coast. I regret that. **

Echo chewed on her lip, trying to absorb every word. She was a pretty logical female most of the time, so it really didn't make sense that he'd deposit bad money when he'd wanted so much for her to have a happy life for some unknown reason.

**Echo: Are you married? Do you have children? Is that why you're hiding? **

**Nameless Hero: Fuck, no. I wouldn't wish my life on anyone else. Especially you. I miss you so damn much I can hardly think. But anything else between us is impossible. **

**Echo: Why?**

**Nameless Hero: I have issues that will never be resolved, Echo, but it's nothing illegal. I'm not good with relationships of any kind. But I'm not a criminal. **

**Echo: So you're a trust fund guy?**

**Nameless Hero: Something like that.**

Issues? If what he was saying was true, why all the hiding? Was it possible that when he said that he had issues, he meant that he was mentally ill in some way? She thought about that for a moment. Darkness. He always has to be in low or absent light. Could he be photophobic? Heliophobic?

**Echo: Are you afraid of light?**

**Stalker: ….Something like that.**

Oh, my God. So he couldn't stand to be in daylight or bright light? It was completely possible. Echo'd had an acquaintance in college with that affliction, and it was debilitating. She hadn't even lasted a week in college, even after intense treatment. She'd been forced to go back to home study, and had been almost a prisoner in her own house.

The disability was poorly understood, so Echo knew there wasn't great treatment for it, but some advances were being made. She wasn't going to tell him that there was a cure, because she wasn't about to lie. And it made any kind of relationship almost impossible for him. He was right.

Her heart was aching as she replied. **Echo: I'm sorry. I'm here for you if you need me. Are you getting any kind of treatment?**

**Nameless Hero: There's no cure for what's wrong with me.**

Maybe she was the only friend or person he talked to…ever. Did he have family or people who cared? Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she thought about the fact that he'd cared so much about her happiness when he obviously had none of his own. No wonder he had sent somebody else to wire money for him. It had to be hard for him to get out during the day.

**Echo: Can you at least tell me your real name?**

**Nameless Hero: Better if I don't.**

Now that she knew what was wrong with him, she wasn't going to push.

**Echo: Have I ever really thanked you for helping me when I needed it? **

He was virtually a stranger if his story was true. And he obviously had his own problems. It was pretty incredible that he'd reached out to help someone like her.

**Nameless Hero: Not necessary. I wanted to do it.**

**Echo: Did you want to have sex with me? **

**Nameless Hero: More than you'll ever know. I miss you so damn much, even though I know we can't be together again. You deserve better. And I care too damn much to shackle you to me, even though it's what I really want. I crave you, my fiery ember. **

Echo let out a strangled sob, because really, she craved him, too. She'd never forgotten that night in the boathouse, or the night in her bed. This man could play her body like a fine violin, and the sweetness of that pleasure had never really banished from memory. She'd just tried to lock it away.

**Nameless Hero: Echo?**

She swiped at her tears before she answered. **Echo: Yes?**

**Nameless Hero: If it will really make you happy, I'll authorize the bank to reverse the deposit. I only wanted to help. I knew you had to be low on funds, and I didn't want you to suffer when I'll never miss a dime of that money.**

She dropped the phone on the table, buried her hands in my arms, and wept.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

The next day, Echo was still reeling over Nameless' revelation. She'd cried for so long that he must've assumed she'd walked away from her phone, because he hadn't texted again. Honestly, she was kind of relieved. What could she say to a guy who had issues like his? Someone who was dealing with so much himself, yet still had the capability to give a damn if she was okay?

Echo didn't suspect he was married anymore. Maintaining any kind of relationship would be difficult for him. Her heart ached for all he'd lost by being afraid of the light, and what he still apparently suffered every single day. Did he have family or friends? Was anybody there to care about him?

"Time to quit for the day." The loud baritone made her jump a little because she'd been so deep in thought.

She glanced quickly at the clock, only to realize that it was five o'clock. She felt guilty that she'd been preoccupied for the last hour or so.

"I can stay for a while." Echo offered, as she looked across the big table from her work station to Levi's.

His swirling gray eyes assessed her as he shook his head. "Not necessary. We made good progress."

Maybe. But she was willing to bet that it won't keep Levi from working all night until he dropped. They'd eat, she'd go back to the guesthouse, and Levi would go back to work, just the way he always did.

"Do you want to go out to the new café that just opened up on Elm Street?" She asked, without thinking about her question.

Or maybe she had thought about it subconsciously. Her heart bled for both Levi and Nameless, even though their disabling situations were different. Her Nameless Hero was limited, but he seemed to have no problems being outside when it was dark. But Levi seemed totally controlled, and completely isolated, so much so that he rarely left his home without being in the company of a company driver, pilot, or some kind of employee.

The only time she'd ever seen him outside was on the patio. She was pretty certain he didn't realize that it was his emotional turmoil that really isolated him. But she knew. For some reason she could never really explain, Echo sensed it, and what she felt was more than empathy. It was almost like she could physically and emotionally experience his pain.

"I don't go out." He said, icily. "If I want something special, I have it brought here."

Echo started to tidy up her work station. "Why?" She inquired simply.

He stood, crossed his arms, and glared at her. She could feel him backing away emotionally, not that he'd ever exactly been anything even close to warm and fuzzy. He seemed to be cool, and completely self-contained.

"Why do you want to go out?" He shot back.

She stood and held his gaze. This was an important moment, and Echo knew she needed to win. Levi had to stop hiding. He had to stop avoiding the world, and start living again. But he was getting so accustomed to being solitary that if something didn't change soon, he'd never be able to escape.

"Eating out is pleasant." She explained. "I love getting a table close to the window so I can just watch people and the world. It keeps me grounded."

It would help him, too. Sometimes problems became way too big when somebody only thought about their own. Or if they felt like everybody was going to be watching them. Being out in the world would be a good reminder for Levi that people were living their own lives, and had very little interest in anyone else's.

"Please." She cajoled. "I'm hungry, and I'd really like to go."

She saw a quick flicker of indecision in his eyes. It was brief, but for just a second, he'd wavered.

"You're that hungry?" He asked, in a husky baritone.

Echo was stunned when she realized that he was thinking about it because of her.

Because he thought she wanted it. Because he thought she needed to eat. Like she was going to starve by missing a meal? Honestly, she could fast for weeks and not look the least bit emaciated.

She nodded quickly. "I really am, and I do want to go."

"I could call Erwin and ask him to take you." He suggested.

"Do you really want me to go with Erwin?" She asked. "I'd rather go with you. We did a lot of good in the last few weeks. It would be nice to celebrate that together."

She watched the expression on his face change. "Hell, no. I don't want you going with Erwin." He growled.

Her heart tripped, and then started to gallop as she watched his face reveal some intense emotions she didn't understand, and that she'd never seen before.

"Then what do you want?" She asked in a loud whisper, one just loud enough for him to hear.

Echo didn't back down as he strode to stand right in front of her. She continued to stare into a pair of steely eyes filled with some kind of conflict. Levi avoided getting close to her for the most part, but he was near enough that she could almost feel his breath on her face.

"I want to be with you." He snarled.

Every nerve in her body was on high alert, and she felt like the air had stalled inside her lungs. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She couldn't even move.

"I just offered you that opportunity." Echo finally said in a shaky voice. "I want to be with you, too, and not just to work."

"I don't think you understand, Echo." He said in a low, dangerous tone.

"Then explain it to me. Talk to me, Levi. Maybe I'm just your employee, but I care how you feel."

"The last thing I see you as is a goddamn person who works for me." He said, in a harsh voice. "I want to get you naked and fuck you until you beg for mercy. All day. All night. Until neither one of us can move, and this fucking gnawing in my gut goes away. And I don't want to see you with another man, even fucking Erwin Smith."

Echo was stunned as she viewed the possessive look in his gaze as it swept over her in a mind-blowing, covetous way. Her body tightened and tensed, responding to his admission, but not in a frightened kind of way at all. Nope. Her treacherous body was reacting to his admission because it turned her on to see him be so completely raw. The fact that it was all because he wanted her so much that he couldn't stand to see her be with any other male only made everything so much hotter. It crossed her mind that it had to be some primal, caveman type of response, but an alpha male Levi was probably the most arousing thing she'd ever seen.

"You really want me?" She asked in a shaky, incredulous voice.

She really needed to verify his words because they just didn't make sense. None of that made sense. Levi Ackerman was a billionaire, and probably one of the most brilliant minds in technology. He was drop-dead gorgeous. Okay, he wasn't hot in a perfect 'Erwin Smith' sort of way. Levi was far from perfection, but his raw, rough-around-the-edges, pheromone exuding, incredibly masculine, and intense self was much more alluring than Erwin's. At least it seemed to be for her. Levi had a primal draw that she'd never felt with Erwin.

"How could I not want you?" He grumbled. "Believe me, I've fucking tried not to, and it's not possible. I want to make you happy, but I don't think I know how anymore. It's been a long time since anybody ever challenged me, or questioned me. To be honest, I'm not sure I like it."

She bit back a smile because he sounded so disgruntled. It made her heart squeeze to think that he cared about whether or not she was content, hungry, or okay in general. All Echo really had was Erwin, Rachel, and sometimes a Nameless man she didn't really know.

Erwin cared because he considered himself family. Rachel cared because they were best friends. And Nameless' presence in her life was sporadic…and weird. But Levi? He didn't really need to give a damn about anything but work. She was simply an employee. But he…did.

"Thank you." She said, softly. "It's been a long time since anybody cared about whether or not I was really happy."

She desperately wanted to further clarify that he really wanted to fuck her so badly that it was practically killing him. But she didn't. Maybe it wasn't true. Maybe it was just something he'd said because he was starting to feel emotions again. After all, what in the hell would a man like Levi want with a nerd like her?

He finally spoke. "I care. And if you're hungry, go get your stuff. I'll take you to the new restaurant." He rumbled as he strode away.

Echo let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding as he disappeared, but her body still felt like it was on full alert.

Holy shit!

Echo turned toward the direction that Levi had gone, trying to get her crazy emotions under control. Had that really just happened? Had Levi agreed to go out with her? Had he confessed that he wanted her? Had he looked at her like he wanted to devour her whole? And had her body and heart reacted to his every word?

She was starting to see the real Levi, and it was exhilarating.

She took a deep breath, and then went to get her purse.

* * *

Levi was eerily silent as they drove into town. Echo used that quiet time to fret over whether or not she was doing the right thing.

'What if he hated being in public?' She thought, worriedly. 'What if he didn't eventually relax?'

Echo willed her body to relax as she pointed to something along their route and said, "There's the desert museum. I've always wanted to go there."

Echo's mom and she had done things they could manage for free living in Scottsdale. Sure, there were some that were free of charge, but they'd never had the extra money to wander through the gift shops, eat in the café's or go into the ones you had to pay to get into to.

"You haven't been there?" He asked, his voice wasn't as tense as it had been at the house.

"Never." She confessed. "She used to take me up to Tucson and we used to camp out in the desert for fun and do some stargazing. Being back here, especially since you live near the mountain trails has been amazing for me. But Mom and I never had the entrance fee to go to the museum. And it was one we said we always wanted to go to."

Echo hadn't been able to keep the regret out of her voice, even though she'd tried. She wouldn't trade the time she'd had with her mother for anything, but Echo wished she'd lived longer, long enough for her to start making a decent income and treating her to places they'd never been able to afford.

"You could go now." Levi mentioned.

She shrugged. "It's not the same, going alone. And Rachel, my best friend, isn't interested in the desert. It kind of sucks when there's nobody to share it with."

Maybe someday, she would hit the museum, but it wasn't high on her to-do list now that she had a job. She needed her own vehicle first, and no matter what Levi said, she had to vacate his residence eventually. She was saving as much money as possible.

"What else do you like to do here?" He asked, his voice sounding genuinely curious.

"I don't do a lot because I haven't gotten my own vehicle yet." Echo explained. "I feel guilty driving your Jeep. But I always hit the farmer's market. They have great produce and veggies."

Unlike Levi, her provisions didn't show up like magic. She had to make some occasional trips for food, even though she ate dinner with him most of the time.

"The vehicle is yours to use whenever you want." He rumbled.

Echo turned her head to look at him, but his face was impassive. "It's not mine, Levi. It's yours. Because of your generosity, I've survived this rough patch in my life. But I eventually want to buy my own car. I need to find my own place. I'm saving as much as I can right now."

"I'll pay you more." He offered, huskily.

"No." She said, appalled. "You already pay me an incredibly generous salary. And I feel like I'm the lucky one to be learning so much from you. Do you know how many people would love to work directly with you?"

He let out something that sounded like a cynical laugh. "Only if they're masochists. I'm an asshole to work for."

"You're not." She defended. "You want things done right, but you've been patient with me."

"Because you're fucking brilliant, and you rarely make a wrong choice." Levi answered. "I'm not a patient man."

"Don't underestimate yourself." Echo admonished. "You're a good teacher."

"You make it pretty damn easy." He replied, gruffly. "Is this it?"

Levi was pointing at the new café. "Yeah. There." She instructed.

The area was pretty crowded, so they had to search for parking. Echo had been surprised to learn that Levi owned a very nice BMW. It was a classy black in color and luxurious, but nothing she'd expected one of the richest men in the world to own. Though it had been a pleasant discovery that Levi didn't care about owning one of the most expensive cars on the planet. It said that he didn't give a damn what other people thought.

Once they got to the restaurant, they had to wait to be seated, but it wasn't long until they were at a table near the window.

The waitress took their drink orders, and Echo found herself relaxing as she watched Levi scrutinize the menu like he hadn't eaten out in a very long time. It took her a few moments to realize that he really hadn't. It must've been years since he'd sat in a restaurant with people around him.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly, concerned that he might be feeling anxious.

His eyes met hers and he slowly nodded. "Surprisingly, yes. I guess because I'm watching you instead of other people."

She sighed. She wasn't exactly dressed for a date. Not that she considered dinner with her boss a real date. Nevertheless, she was in very little makeup, and she was dressed in jeans and a striped short sleeved top that was ultra-casual. There wasn't a single thing about her that was at all alluring. But he was looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. It was unnerving, but flattering at the same time. He wasn't the same stoic, unemotional man she'd come to know.

"You see me every day." She blew off his comment.

"And it's torture." He said, as he turned his eyes back to the menu.

"Is it really?"

"Yes. It's damn hard to work with a woman that I want to fuck." His voice was pained.

His words caused a pang of longing in her belly that moved quickly to land directly between her thighs. Echo clenched her menu harder and tried to refocus on making a selection. Her physical desire for Levi had grown just a little stronger every single day and she'd tried to ignore it. But it was so much different than the brief, light infatuation she'd had for Erwin, in the beginning.

Echo's emotions were raw when she was with Levi, like she wanted to climb his lean body and jump inside him to share every bit of pain he'd had over the years. She didn't understand it, and she definitely didn't want to feel that way, but her mysterious connection to Levi was so forceful that she couldn't make it stop.

She buried her head in the menu. "You don't want me." She mumbled, fairly certain her cheeks were flaming.

The menu suddenly lowered, and she saw Levi's fingers holding it down so she had to look at him. Echo's heart lurched as she saw the intensity in his molten gray eyes. She swallowed hard as she looked at the volatile, silver glow that seemed to be swirling in the depths of his irises. Echo was mesmerized, and there was no way she could look away.

"Never doubt that I do want you." He said, in a voice both husky and harsh. "Since the first day I saw you."

He had to be a master at hiding his feelings, because she could've sworn he would've rather had her get lost that first day. Honestly, she still kind of felt that way. Like he didn't want her around.

"Why?" Echo asked, breathlessly. "You've always wanted your solitude. You've never wanted me around. You said so. And you could have any woman you wanted. You could snap your fingers, and they'd all come running. And they'd all be so much prettier than I am with perfect bodies instead of my plain and boring self."

Levi should be out dating supermodels. Isn't that usually what rich guys did?

He raised a brow slightly, but his intense gaze never left her face as he answered hoarsely, "I don't see other women, Echo. I love the way you look, so don't you dare downplay yourself. I love your body, your smile, and I could fucking drown in your intelligent dark eyes. It isn't that I don't want you around. I just don't trust myself when you are."

Her heart skipped a beat, and time stood still as they gazed at each other. She didn't know what to say. She simply wanted to throw herself across the table so she could be closer to him.

'Why does he see all of those things in me when I definitely don't see them myself?' She thought.

They were interrupted by the waitress, and their intense stare was broken.

Echo knew she was still thoroughly screwed. She couldn't unsee the way he looked at her, or forget his words.

They made small talk throughout dinner, and the moment they'd shared was over. But she knew she'd be haunted by his words and the tortured expression he'd worn for a very long time, even though his face was masked again.


	11. Chapter 11

BlueMoon Goddess: Alright everyone, this is a pretty long chapter and in it a lot of action is happening, as well as a nice juicy lemon added to the mix. I know by now that phases of getting back to a somewhat regular routine is coming back, but I still hope everyone is still practicing social distancing, proper sanitation, and wearing a mask when going out. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

Levi was different after his first day out of the house. Not that his gruff, bluntly honest demeanor had changed much, and Echo still hadn't seen him smile, but it said a lot that he'd stopped by early in the morning on Sunday to take her to the farmer's market.

"I thought you might want to go." He'd grumbled, looking restless and uncomfortable.

Echo's heart had melted when she'd been granted a glimpse of his unguarded expression earlier. And her heart had skittered because she'd realized he had really wanted her to go with him, so she hadn't exactly needed much convincing to grab her stuff and leave the guesthouse with him.

"This is amazing." She moaned, as she sampled an almond croissant from one of the vendors.

She held out the other half, and he immediately leaned over, and took the pastry into his mouth. Heat sizzled down her spine when she felt the slick heat of his tongue as she released the morsel. It had been just a second, just a brief brush as he took what she'd offered. But it was enough to make her core clench with a fierce need she couldn't seem to contain when she was with Levi.

He nodded as he chewed. "It's good." He looked at the vendor. "We'll take a dozen of those."

He paid for the pastries, and they moved on. Her heart warmed when he grabbed her hand so he could keep track of her in the crowd of people.

They'd arrived pretty early, and had found a decent parking spot. But the farmer's market was a popular attraction on Sundays, and the throng of people had just gotten bigger as the morning progressed. And so had the bag that Levi had been stuffing as they made their way down the aisles. If he didn't stop buying things soon, he wouldn't be able to carry the big sack he seemed to be lugging with barely little effort.

"No more." Echo said, with a breathless laugh as he led the way to another stall. "I think that bag is heavy enough."

Levi went through the sea of people like a bulldozer. Not that he was rude, but a way through seemed to just magically appear when he was ahead of her. Like people automatically stepped aside to avoid him.

He stopped at the next vendor to look at her. "All we bought is food."

Echo smirked. "It is a farmer's market."

"But they have other stuff."

Thinking he wanted to look at other things, she happily went with him to check out some of the non-food vendors. Echo quickly learned not to admire any of the cute jewelry or other items there. If she did, it went straight into the bag he was holding. Anything she looked at instantly became hers. He didn't buy a single thing for himself.

"No more vendors." She finally insisted, tugging on his hand.

He shot her a confused look. "Why?"

"Because I need you to stop buying me things." She insisted.

Really, she was so unused to anybody buying her anything that it made her uncomfortable. His willingness to purchase every item she liked made her want to cry.

He shrugged. "It's nothing. None of it was expensive. It's just little stuff."

Just one of the pair of earrings he'd bought were over a hundred bucks, so it was far from little to Echo. Although she liked looking at the items, she didn't spend a hundred bucks on jewelry. Not ever.

She led him out of the crowd, and to the side of the stream of people. "It's not a small thing to me." She told him. "Levi, I'm not rich. I never have been. What you bought today would've covered my groceries for months."

He looked puzzled. "You need groceries?"

She let out a sound of something between frustration and embarrassment. "I'm fine." She reassured him. "I just don't spend money on extras."

"You should." He said, emphatically. "Listen, it was a small thing for me. Just let me do it."

He was right. For him, it was a tiny amount of money, but she still didn't feel at ease with him spending anything on her. He'd already done so much for her.

"You have to stop now, okay?" Echo said, softly.

"If that's what you want." He said, offhandedly.

"It is." She said, with an enormous smile.

"Then I'm done." He answered, huskily.

Echo's heart squeezed so painfully that she could hardly breathe. Levi was just as generous as Erwin. Maybe more so. He just showed it in a much bossier, take charge kind of way. But it touched her that the moment that she got uncomfortable, he'd stopped. No man had ever been that in touch with how she was feeling, and it was almost scary for her. He put his arm around her, and they made their way slowly to the car. Just like the first time he'd taken her hand that morning, Echo was almost reduced to a puddle on the ground as he gripped her shoulder firmly but gently, which pulled her body into his.

It made Echo crave a deeper closeness between her and Levi. And the pang of need was so sharp that she almost flinched away from him because of it. She was beginning to need so much more than he could probably give. When he held her this way, she felt protected, cherished, and secure. Yet there was a definite triggering of something that felt…somewhat dangerous.

It was weird to feel like a prey animal in the sights of a predator, and happy to be exactly where she was at the same time. Being with him set Echo on edge. However, she sensed that he'd never deliberately hurt her. Her emotions were all over the place. She admired his brilliant mind, but she lusted after his body. Every single simple touch from him set fire to her body.

Echo was almost relieved when they finally settled into his vehicle. "Thank you for today. I had a great time."

"Surprisingly, I did, too." He answered.

Echo turned her head and looked at his profile as he put the vehicle in gear and started driving away from the market. Levi looked more relaxed than she'd ever seen him. And there was a certain satisfaction in that since he was one of the most uptight guys Echo had ever met. Their relationship was evolving into a friendship so fast now that it almost gave her whiplash.

Friendship? Is it really a friendship? Honestly, Echo had no idea what was happening with him, or what he was thinking. She can't let him close down after opening up. He still wasn't completely open, but she wanted him to trust her enough to feel like he can be. She was torn. She wanted to be closer to Levi, but she knew damn well that she could end up scorched.

"Do you want to come over to the pool?" He asked. "We could eat some of the things we bought for dinner."

Echo relaxed when she realized they weren't going to just separate, and go their separate ways for the day.

She laughed. She couldn't help herself. "Veggies for dinner? And a gazillion pastries for dessert?"

"I have shrimp in the fridge." He informed her.

"Sold." Echo said enthusiastically, since it was her favorite. "Are you actually going to swim in that gigantic pool of yours?"

"I'll think about it." He grumbled.

And that was enough for her.

* * *

"Why don't you ever talk about your time in the army?"

Echo broached the subject as carefully as she could, but she could visibly see Levi shut down right before her eyes. She shouldn't have mentioned it. They'd been right in the middle of a very nice dinner on Levi's patio when she'd opened her big mouth.

"Erwin told you." He said, bluntly.

"I'm sorry." She said, quickly as she looked at him from across the outdoor table. "He mentioned your time and I guess I just wanted you to talk to me about it. The incident has obviously affected so much of your life."

His were eerily cold as he stared at her blankly. "If he told you then you obviously know the story. I left my unit to go on ahead. Returned and everyone died. End of story."

It was the opening she'd wanted, but definitely not the reaction she'd hoped for. "You couldn't have known what would happen when you went ahead. I'm sure no one blamed you."

"They don't have to blame me." He said, lifelessly. "I blame myself."

Echo already knew that he did from her discussions with Erwin, but she guessed she'd never realized how much it affected him until she saw the haunted look on his face, an expression that made her heart ache for him. "Your comrades wouldn't have wanted this for you, Levi. You know they wouldn't. I know for a fact that they would've wanted you to live your life, and be happy."

"Tell me how a person can do that when they know that their actions not only killed others, but two people who were the closest you had to family?" He answered in a hoarse voice.

"You mean Isabela?"

"She and another friend of mine, Furlan were like family to me. We were friends growing up and enlisted at the same time. When we got ambushed and had to change our course, I was the one who convinced them to stay behind and I would move on ahead. I didn't get far when I saw an explosion where my unit was, and when I got back, I saw all my comrades' dead."

"And that's when you saw Isabel?" Echo asked.

"She was barely hanging on when I found her." Levi said, heartbrokenly. "I managed to get her to the base to get her to a doctor before she died a few minutes later."

"You did want you could. It wasn't your fault that she died. Or anyone in your squad for that matter." Echo told him.

He shrugged as he pushed his plate away. "Most of the time, I wish I had died along with them."

Echo had opened Pandora's Box, and now she and Levi were both going to suffer the consequences. But everything inside his sealed off heart couldn't stay buried any longer. He had to learn to forgive himself, and move on with his life.

"Don't say that." She warned. "Just don't. You still have people who care about you. But they can't get close to you anymore. Don't you know that it's a gift to have people who care about you? Don't you realize that they truly care about your well-being? You're hurting them."

Echo's heart was thundering in her ears as she stared at him.

He glared back as he said, "They're better off without me."

She slammed her hand on the table as she stood up. "Don't say that again! They are not better off without you. You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself long enough to recognize the fact that not having you back is killing them. I know that your friends are gone, and that you feel so guilty that you can't see past those emotions. But you have others out there just waiting for you to heal. They don't blame you because you went ahead. What happened to you could've happened to anyone. Your friends and comrades would never want you to punish yourself this way. And even though I've never had a single family member that gave a damn after my mother passed away, I can imagine that your friends would've wanted you to live your life and not blame yourself for something that you couldn't have controlled."

Echo flopped back down on her chair, feeling deflated. She was surprised to see a tear drop into her lap. She tried to swipe at the river that had flooded her face while she'd been talking. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. It wasn't her business, but it killed her to see Levi throwing away people who still cared when she would do anything to have someone to care about her.

Honestly, Echo didn't think he was being selfish. But she was pretty sure he'd been so deep into his misery that he'd never realized just how lucky he really was. And seeing him torment himself over his perceived guilt over the death of his closest friends and comrades, was so damn painful that her chest physically hurt.

"Don't cry." He ordered.

"I can't help it." Echo answered in a tremulous voice. "I hate all of this for you. I can't stand the fact that you aren't close to anyone anymore. You aren't alone, Levi. You don't have to be alone."

"What I did was stupid. I went on ahead and left my squad behind. I should've stayed and at least tried to prevent my unit from getting injured. Hell, I could've just let Furlan and Isabel join me up ahead. Instead, I left them behind and wasn't there to help them."

"It's not your fault." She argued. "You thought it was a smart move at the time to move on ahead, and thought it would be safer to let your friends stay behind with the rest of the squad. I probably would've done the same thing."

"But you didn't." He rumbled. "It's not easy to live with the fact that you killed your friends by a dumb decision. And Jesus, I fucking miss them every single day."

"You did what you could." She still remembered Erwin's explanation of how hard Levi had tried to get help for Isabel.

"It wasn't enough." He said, flatly. "They didn't have the proper tools to sustain her injuries. She died because the doctors didn't have the right equipment to keep her stable."

A lightbulb went off in her head. "Is that why you're so determined to develop robotic surgery?"

He nodded slowly. "If we'd been someplace that had the right medical facilities, she might've lived. I don't want other people to have to go through the hell of losing someone when they don't have to."

Losing his friend had made Levi driven to develop technology that would make robotic surgery possible in remote locations. His work obsession was a lot clearer than it had been just a few minutes ago. He didn't stay buried in work to escape. Rather, he wanted to make a difference for somebody else. For other people in the future.

"You're so amazing." Echo said, with a sigh. "We'll develop the technology. It might not happen tomorrow, but we're on the cusp of something new. Something that will save those lives someday. But it will never happen if you burn yourself out."

"I'm not." He denied, gruffly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You are. When do you ever take a break?"

"I didn't work today." He pointed out. "I took the whole damn day off."

"So one day off in several years?" She questioned.

"It's not like working is all that hard for me." He said. "There isn't much else in my life anymore."

"Then get a life." She advised, gently.

"It's hard too." He admitted. "A few years ago I ran into the father of one of my squad mates and it was hard to look at him. When I saw him, all I can think about is what was taken away from him. His daughter was all he had left."

"I'm sure he didn't blame you for what happened, Levi." Echo insisted. "And right now, Blaire and Erwin don't deserve to lose you as well."

He was silent for a moment before he said. "Blaire's birthday is coming up. Erwin's throwing a birthday ball in her honor rand wants me to be there."

Echo smiled at him. "Because they really want their friend back. I hope you're going."

"I hadn't planned on it." He answered, stoically.

"Then surprise them. Show up."

"It isn't that I don't want to be there for them." He answered, slowly. "I do. I just don't feel like I belong with them anymore."

"That's your choice." Echo replied. "They stuck with you through all your troubles. You're the one who decided to isolate yourself. You have to want to be their friend again. Go see them. Step back into their lives. They've been waiting for you. Have either one of them ever said anything to make you think that they don't want you around?"

He shook his head slowly. "No."

"Then go to the party. Be their friend again. They really miss you. You're the one choosing to be separated from them and others who still want to be in your life."

He brooded for a few minutes before he answered. "I think you're right."

"Then stop blaming yourself." Echo suggested.

He lifted his eyes to her face. "That might take a while." He said, drily.

"It's okay," Echo said, softly. "You'll get there."

Her heart flip-flopped as he shot her a small grin, the first smile she'd ever seen on Levi's face. And it was devastatingly handsome on him.

He folded his arms as he said. "Maybe I will."

Echo smiled back at him. "Good. Wasting good friends would be a damn shame."

"You're not alone." Levi remarked in a quiet baritone. "Maybe you feel that way since your mother passed, but you have people who care."

She rubbed her arms, feeling suddenly chilly even though it was still well over eighty degrees outside.

"I know." She agreed. "But I still miss her. She was all I had. My father never cared whether I was dead or alive."

"He was an asshole." Levi answered, angrily. "Always was."

Echo nodded. "It took me some time to finally realize that. I wish I had known sooner. But I guess I just wanted to have family so bad that I kept hoping he'd come around. He didn't."

"You were better off without him." He growled.

"I know. I'm okay with everything now."

Strangely, Echo really was all right, even though her last living relative was gone. Probably because her father had never really been a parent. She'd actually been all alone since her mother had died. She just hadn't recognized it.

"Are you really okay?" He asked.

"Do I have a choice? Honestly, I am without family right now, so I have to be okay with who I am. Someday, I hope I find a man who loves me, and we make our own family. But in the meantime, I'm okay to wait. Erwin wants to be a friend to me, and I have Rachel, my best friend. They're like family to me. He once said that sometimes it might be better if we could pick our own family. I'm pretty sure he's right."

Echo had tried to keep her voice light. Levi had probably had enough heavy conversation for one night, and she was wiped out emotionally at the moment, too. She knew over the past few days that she had started developing feelings for him. However, on their way back home she finally realized she was falling hopelessly in love with him. And discovering that she was falling head over heels for Levi had been enough to boggle her mind. She was content that he was at least willing to share some of his feeling with her. It was a lot more than she'd had yesterday.

He seemed more comfortable with being out in public. That had been a big step. And Echo was willing to keep nudging him back toward his friends, no matter how long it took for him to take his place there.

She got up, and started taking their plates back into the house. Levi followed with the rest of the items they'd had outside.

When we were done putting things in the dishwasher, she announced, "I'm heading into the pool."

Before she lost her nerve, she went out the patio door, and pulled the swimsuit cover that looked like a sundress over her head. She might be bolder than she used to be, but she definitely wasn't comfortable stripping down in front of Levi. Even if he did insist that he loved the way she looked.

Until a few months ago, she'd been a twenty-two year old virgin who had never exposed her body to a guy. Really, Echo still had never really exposed her body to anybody since her limited experience with Nameless had been in the dark.

The pool was heated, but it was still a shock to her system when she dove into the deep end. She surfaced with the gasp she'd been holding back. She treaded water as she watched to see that Levi was standing where she'd dove in.

"Aren't you coming?"

"I don't own any swimming trunks." He stated.

"Perfect." Echo replied back. "Then I'll see you totally naked. You just made my whole damn year."

"You're crazy." He said, with a hint of humor.

"C'mon." She cajoled. "You did say that you'd come in later. I'm waiting."

"I recall saying I'd think about it." He complained, as he whipped the T-shirt he was wearing over his head.

Every light on the patio was on, so she could see every gorgeous inch of his upper body. And boy, she wasn't disappointed. He was so damn perfect that Echo wondered how a man could look so gorgeous. Levi was all smooth, naturally tan skin over taut muscle, and it made Echo's body ache with longing as he reached for the buttons of his jeans.

She gaped at the movement of that hand, and the sexy happy trail of hair that led down to the waistband of his jeans. It was enough to make her stare like she was still a twenty-two year old virgin looking at her first naked man.

Truthfully, Echo had seen nude men in pictures, but she'd never seen anything like him. He acted so confident as he stripped off his jeans, taking a pair of boxer briefs along with them. Echo only got a second to take in his gloriously nude body before he dove in close to her.

But she'd gotten a quick look at one very enormous and erect member that would probably split her in two right before he'd entered the water. It had startled her, but it had also made her body come alive with the need to touch it. To touch all of Levi.

Echo squeaked as his surfaced right beside her, and Levi wrapped a strong pair of arms around her waist. He yanked her over to the side of the pool, and she rested her arm on the concrete. He moved so he was in front of her.

"Were you enjoying the show?" He asked, in an edgy tone.

She looked into his eyes, and she knew she was screwed. His irises were pure grey, and there was an expression of uncharacteristic vulnerability in his gaze.

"Enormously." She said, emphatically. "Until you ruined it."

She nearly lost it when he smiled at her, a mischievous grin that made her heart pound hard and fast against her chest wall. Mesmerized, she put an arm around his neck. "Levi."

He was staring at her mouth, and she could feel the tension in the air around them. She knew right then that Levi Ackerman was going to kiss her, and that he'd rock her world so hard that she'd never be the same again.

"I have no fucking idea what you see in me that's attractive, but damned if I'm going to argue if you're going to let me touch you." Levi growled right before he covered her mouth with his.

Echo was overwhelmed by the taste of him. He tasted like pure sin, and his lips were like silk as they slid over hers.

What did she see in him?

Was he crazy?

Levi was every woman's dream. And if he wasn't, he definitely was hers. Maybe she was turned on by hot, extremely intelligent billionaires, but weren't most women? Granted, Echo couldn't explain the mysterious way he seemed to draw her toward him like she was entranced, but when he claimed her mouth with his tongue, Echo didn't really give a damn. She just wanted him.

Echo's agitated body was screaming at her to let the man devour her as she opened to him, letting him explore wherever he wanted. His arms tightened like steel around her, like he was afraid she'd want to get away. Truth was, she couldn't have moved away from him at all. She was affixed to his body like she belonged there.

When he finally lifted his mouth, they were both panting like they'd just run a marathon. His eyes were a heated, molten grey as he pulled back to look at her like he could see every emotion and hidden secret she possessed.

She felt raw as he stared at her with a turbulent gaze.

"I can't fucking do this." He said, in an agonized tone.

"Why?" She asked breathlessly, feeling like she was going to die if he moved away.

"We work together. You're my assistant."

"I don't care." Echo said, hurriedly. "I've been attracted to you since the first time we met." She confessed. "I'm an adult and I want this, Levi. I need you."

He groaned as he explored the slick skin of her neck, and bit sharply on her earlobe. Echo shivered at the sexy, playful action. His every touch stoked her already-primed body, and her core clenched with vicious need. At the moment, she felt like Levi was the missing part of her that she'd always craved, but never knew how to find. She wasn't sure how it had happened, but she was head over heels for the man.

"I want you, Levi." Echo whimpered.

"This will change everything." He rasped against the bared skin of her shoulder.

"Okay." She said, compliantly. "I can deal with it."

It wasn't like she didn't know that fucking the head of her company could make things exceptionally awkward, but she was willing to take that chance if he'd just kept touching her. Echo let go of the side of the pool and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her legs lifted and locked solidly around his waist. She needed to get closer, and she didn't care what it took to satisfy that aching desire.

"Jesus! You're killing me." He said gruffly, as he forced Echo's body away from him and pulled at the straps of her swim suit, lowering it until she could kick it off.

Echo eagerly reassumed her position, her legs and arms around him, their smooth, wet skin sliding together so naturally that she let out a sound somewhere between a moan and sigh.

"Don't move." He demanded, huskily. "If you keep squirming around on my dick like that, this won't last very long."

Echo stopped rubbing against him. Not because he ordered her to, but because she could hear a tormented tone underneath his barking exterior. He wanted her. _Her_.

"Not here." Levi said hoarsely, as he lifted her out of the pool like she weighed nothing.

"Levi." Echo whimpered as he carried her to the far corner of the patio, and dropped her onto a sun bed that looked like it had never been used.

She ended up sprawled across it on her back, her head hitting the enormous pillow softly.

"We do this my way." He said, roughly as he pinned her hands over her head.

His whole bossy-in-bed persona was a part of Levi she'd never seen before. And she had to admit that it turned her on. Not that Echo had much experience, but the entire alpha male thing was arousing.

She nodded. "This time." She agreed. She was willing to give him anything if he'd just fuck her.

Echo bit her lip as she watched him trail his eyes over her nude form hungrily. "You're so damn beautiful." He said, his voice feral, but tender.

He leaned back as he knelt between her thighs, and her breath caught in her lungs as she saw his body up close for the first time. She noticed that he had a couple of trails of pink and white on his torso and chest. Most likely scars. They were healed, but they looked so painful.

"Old scars from when I was in the army. There not pretty to see." He said darkly, as his gaze bore into her face.

"There not ugly, either. You have to know that you're attractive to me, Levi." Echo said, quietly. "I want to touch you. Please." She yanked at his grip on her wrists.

"You're crazy." He grunted.

"You're gorgeous." She retorted.

"No touching right now. I'll lose it." He answered.

Beads of water were still dripping from his taunt flesh, and Echo bit her lip from the desire to lick every one of them from his skin. His expression was still guarded, like he expected her to suddenly scream in fear. Not going to happen. Levi's scars were part of him, part of his life.

Every thought fled from Echo's mind as he leaned forward, and took one hard, sensitive nipple into his mouth. He sucked. Nipped. And then swiped his tongue over the diamond-hard peaks, alternating back and forth between both breasts, savoring them equally, until she was thrashing her head in frustration.

"Please, Levi." She begged, feeling like she was losing her mind.

"Patience." He answered in a low, sexy baritone.

"I have none." Echo choked out. "I want you."

He lifted his head. "Do you know what it does to me when you say that?" He growled.

"What?" She gasped.

"Nobody has wanted me in a long time." He snapped.

"Because you haven't let them." She said, tightly.

"I've never wanted another woman like I want you." Levi said brusquely, finally releasing her wrists, and trailing his hand down her body as though he was claiming it for himself.

Echo squirmed as his strong hands trailed hard over her hips, and then her belly. She felt consumed by him, and she gasped as his palm landed firmly on her mound. He ground against it before his fingers parted the silky folds.

"You're so damn wet." He barked, sounding aroused by finding the quivering flesh so moist.

"I can't take anymore. I need you to touch me right now." She said in a rush, her body reaching its limits as she ground her hips upward.

"You look like you need me." He observed in a husky tone, his fingers delving into her folds. "I love the way you look right now."

Echo hissed as his finger sought and found her nub, caressing it way too lightly for her liking.

"More." She commanded.

"Greedy girl." He admonished.

She nodded as she closed her eyes. "Very greedy." Echo agreed.

"You want my cock?" He asked, hoarsely. "Tell me."

She could sense he was looking more for reassurance than to stoke his ego. For some reason, he needed to know that she wanted him. Really wanted him.

"Yes. I want it so badly right now."

Echo nearly hit the ceiling as she felt his hot tongue stroke over her slit. He'd moved down lower between her legs, and her eyes popped open just in time to see his dark head squarely between her thighs. It was such an erotic sight that the knot in Echo's stomach tightened unbearably. She was inexperienced, and she'd never seen a powerful man between her legs. She kind of thought she never would. But that was before Levi.

Echo speared her hands into his hair, glorying in the feel of the coarse locks splaying over her fingers. He sucked on the tiny bundle of nerves that was begging for his attention, and she gasped and fisted his thick locks in ecstasy.

"Levi! Oh, my God." Echo said, in a strangled moan as she felt her climax building to a scary force that she'd never experienced before.

She squealed as he thrust his fingers into her empty channel, filling it, and curling his fingers around for something she didn't quite understand.

"Fuck me." She pleaded.

Then, he finally found what he was seeking, and white-hot fire jolted through every nerve in her body.

Some magic spot inside her made pleasure erupt violently from her core, and she screamed. "Levi! It's too much!" And then she contradicted herself by yelling, "More, Levi. Please."

Echo didn't know how to handle the sensations, but her body knew exactly what to do. It imploded as Levi kept flicking his tongue over her precious pearl, and thrusting his fingers into her, stimulating that g-spot he'd found. She shattered, her muscles tightening around his fingers as she came for what seemed like an endless amount of time, yet it wasn't enough.

"Oh-My-God. Oh-My-God. I don't know what the hell just happened to me." Echo whispered, as she panted for breath once the storm of her orgasm abated. She let out a shaky sigh, feeling weightless and floating as her lapped at her like her juices were a delectable treat for him.

He stretched out over her as he said, "You just came screaming my name." He said with a wicked, masculine smile of satisfaction.

And with that mischievous smile, Levi Ackerman stole what was left of her heart.

"Now you get my cock." He said, with a groan. "You come first, always."

God, there was something enormously attractive about a man who was focused on her pleasure. But it was time for Levi to find his own, and she needed him inside her so desperately she could hardly breathe.

Echo wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist. She could feel his hard erection nudging against her core, and it flooded with heat at the thought of getting this gorgeous man deep inside her.

"Fuck me, Levi. No more waiting." She moaned.

"I can't wait another fucking second." He agreed in a feral voice full of arousal.

She moaned in relief as he drove into her with one smooth, powerful stroke. There was a moment of discomfort because he felt so big, and then there was nothing but some kind of crazy satisfaction that he was buried to the hilt inside her.

"You're so damn tight." He rasped, his voice sounding barely controlled.

She could feel how tense his body was, his muscles straining like he wanted to hold back.

"I'm fine." She told him. "Just fuck me, Levi. I want you so much that I can't stand it."

"I want you, too, Echo." He said, in a graveled tone. "More than you can ever imagine. So damn much that I'll never be able to let you go now."

Echo strained her hips up as he backed out and then surged inside her again. "Don't ever let go." She begged in a moment of passion she couldn't control.

"I'm not going to be able to let go." He said darkly, as though he couldn't help himself. "You're mine."

"Yes." She gasped, as she caught his feverish rhythm, and they lunged together, like they were desperate to be closer, but they could never get close enough.

Echo wanted to be Levi's. She wanted to breathe the same air he did. She needed their bodies sliding against each other's the way they were right now, and she needed this intimate connection. As though he could read her mind, he covered her mouth with his as he pummeled into her, their bodies meeting everywhere. Levi subtly changed the angle of his powerful plunges, and the base of his member caressed her pearl with every powerful forward motion of his hips. Echo's entire body began to tremble as her orgasm built, and something deep and powerful overwhelmed her.

He tore his mouth from hers. "That's it. Come for me, Echo. Fuck, you feel so damn good."

Her climax was different this time.

Deeper.

Harder.

And so damn satisfying.

"Levi!" She screamed, helplessly.

"Echo. My fiery ember." He groaned loudly, as he emptied his hot release deep inside her.

"Yes. Yes. Yes." Echo chanted mindlessly, as she clawed at his back, her short nails trying to burrow into him so he never moved.

She came back down from her orgasm with Levi kissing the side of her neck, soothing her as he stayed inside her, his welcome weight over her. She felt exposed, and her head was reeling from coming so hard. She held onto him, not sure how to react now that he'd rocked her world in a way she'd never experienced before.

The feeling was familiar, yet different. Her Nameless Hero had been her first, and having sex with him had been mind-blowing. So. Similar.

Levi.

Nameless.

Echo's addled mind wondered how it was possible for two men to make her feel so amazing. So cherished. So…needed and necessary. So damn sexy, when she was anything but…

_Echo. My fiery ember._

She caught her breath, and she could feel Levi doing the same, the warm air from his lungs pulsing against her neck as their bodies tried to slow down from the frenzy they had been in moments ago.

_Echo. My fiery ember._

The words turned over and over in her mind as she relaxed. As her brain started to think rationally, those words suddenly clicked into place.

Fiery ember?

Nameless Hero was the only one who called her that and Levi just called her that. The two were so similar. Even the tones of their voices were the same when they filled with passion. But then, Echo had never known Levi's passionate side before. Not until now…

Oh, God.

Echo pushed at his body, needing to distance herself so she could think.

"I need some air." She said, in a panic.

Levi immediately rolled off her and sat up. "What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

She knelt on the sun bed, her eyes wide as she stared at him. "You called me fiery ember." Echo told him nervously.

He was silent as he nodded.

She wasn't sure why she'd never realized it before, and Echo felt like an idiot because she hadn't. But it was like a giant lightbulb suddenly went off in her head when he'd called her fiery ember with so much unbridled desire.

'How could I be so gullible and stupid?' Echo thought, miserably. 'How could I not have seen it sooner?'

Echo saw the truth in Levi's eyes, the flash of guilt that verified what she was thinking, telling her that she was right. She couldn't want both Levi and Nameless the same way. And no, they couldn't feel so similar. She felt like the biggest fool in the world as it finally hit her that Nameless Hero and Levi Ackerman were one and the same man. That's why having sex with both of them felt so alike.

"Echo, I'm sorry." He said in hoarse, regretful tone.

She shook her head hard. "Don't. Just don't."

Echo couldn't look at him. She couldn't let him know that she felt so betrayed and played that her heart was painfully breaking into a million tiny pieces. Confused, angry, and completely destroyed, she jumped off the bed, and bolted for the house to escape.

* * *

BlueMoon Goddess: Well it turns out Levi was her Nameless Hero! Though I'm probably sure most of you were able to figure it out from the last chapter. But now that the secret is out, some more action is going to take place. So until then, see ya next time guys! ^_^


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

"Fuck!" Levi cursed, frustrated with himself as he sat up on the sun bed.

His first instinct was to follow Echo as he watched her hightail it into the house like the devil was on her heels. His fists clenched as he forced himself not to run after her, tell her why he hadn't told her the truth. But really, was there any excuse_? _Bottom line, Levi was a fucking coward. It wasn't like he hadn't planned on telling her everything. But after spending time together, after realizing how much he cared about her in real life, Levi hadn't been able to get the words to leave his mouth.

He'd wanted more time. He'd wanted to convince Echo that they were good together. Hell, more than good. He felt like his whole life depended on whether or not she was going to forgive him. And maybe…it did.

Levi cringed as he thought about the horrified look on her face when she figured out that he and her Nameless guy were one and the same. He'd fucking hurt her, and she knew it. Echo had one of the most expressive faces he'd ever seen. So much so that she'd make a pretty lousy poker player, but it made her incredibly appealing in every other way.

There had been pain in her dark eyes, and he hated himself for being the bastard who put it there. He'd wanted her to never experience pain again, or not anytime soon, anyway. He'd wanted to protect her from the harsh life she'd experienced so far. Levi did a pretty shitty job at achieving those goals. Instead, he'd been the one to betray her trust.

"Shit!" He blurted out, even though there was no one to hear him cuss.

Levi stood, knowing that Echo was already gone. He'd heard the slamming of the front door moments ago, a sound that made his gut ache. He fought an internal battle for a few moments, knowing she'd probably be better off without him.

'Maybe I should just leave her alone.' He thought.

He was fucked up, so he should just let her go live her life without him interfering. He gave himself a second to chew on those thoughts, but he felt like his balls were in a vise just from contemplating not having his fiery ember in his life. Nope! That shit wasn't going to work this time.

Maybe fear had kept Levi still right after she'd run away from him, but they'd both come too far to go backward now. He'd warned her that being with him tonight would change everything. She'd agreed. However, she hadn't known the truth.

Levi went up to his room and pulled on a pair of jeans, and a T-shirt. He needed to catch her before she left the guesthouse. And sadly, he knew she'd flee. Suddenly, he didn't give a damn about his reluctance to bring her into his dreary existence. He could change. He would change…for her.

Levi knew he'd pursue her to the ends of the Earth if he had to. He was way past the point where he could be cautious. She meant way too much to him. It was like he'd finally realized that nobody would ever care about her like he did. Nobody would ever give a damn about her happiness like he did. Nobody would ever _know her_ like he did. And lastly, nobody would ever need her as much as he did.

Yeah, unlike his moniker of _Nameless_, Levi would probably let her go eventually if that was really what she wanted in the end, no matter how hard that might be. But he'd be damned if he'd let her go without one hell of a fight.

He didn't want to protect himself anymore. All he really wanted to protect was her.

Levi took the steps two at a time as he went in search of the woman he knew he couldn't live without. He grimaced as he left the house, wondering how in the hell he could convince her that she couldn't live without him_._

* * *

Echo leaned against the door of the guesthouse after she'd slammed it closed and locked it. She'd hauled ass away from Levi, grabbing a towel as she'd ran for cover inside his house. Clothed or not, she'd sprinted for the guesthouse, wrapped in a towel, where she could put her thoughts together.

Her heart was pounding so hard she could actually hear it drumming in her ears. She gulped for air, her thoughts racing. Echo should've known. She should've at least had a clue. She should've noticed that Nameless and Levi had enough similarities to make it possible for them to be one and the same. How likely it was that two different men could make her body react the same way? It had neverhappened before. Hell, not a single man had ever done that in her entire life, much less two in the same period of time.

"I'm so stupid." She whispered as she slid to the floor, still leaning against the door with only a towel to cover her. "Why? I don't understand why."

Unfortunately, only one person could answer that, and Levi was the last person she wanted to talk to at the moment. Her emotions were so raw that she could barely put two thoughts together.

She startled as a large fist hammered on the door right behind her. "Echo!" Levi bellowed. "We need to talk."

His heavy-handed fist on the door was so relentless that Echo got up and stumbled away from the entrance.

"Echo! Open the fucking door."

She didn't want to talk_._ She wanted to pull herself together before she faced the man who had just ripped her heart to shreds. Echo wrapped the towel around her, and turned toward the door, giving herself a couple of feet of distance so she didn't feel the vibrations of his fist against the solid wood.

"Echo, I can explain if you'll let me." He said, huskily. "I know damn well you're listening."

She was silent, her body shaking, wet head down, and tears pouring down her cheeks. Echo felt betrayed, humiliated, and used. Her body had been his for the taking, and he'd greedily used it, both as Nameless and as Levi. The man had screwed with her head so badly that she couldn't get her thoughts together. All she really knew was that she'd never be the same again.

"I have a key, Echo." He warned, in a growly voice.

Echo finally found her voice. "Are you going to use it? Go ahead. It's your house. Everything has always been your way or no way at all. You've lied to me, invaded my privacy and manipulated me. Do you really think I give a damn about anything you do to me anymore?"

Maybe she was shattered, but she was incredibly pissed off, too.

There was a moment of silence before he said huskily, "No. I'm not going to use it."

Thank God!She really didn't want him forcing his way into the guesthouse. Her emotions were chaotic, and for some strange reason, she didn't want him to see her when she was at her lowest. Honestly, Echo probably didn't want him to see how much powerhe had to hurt her.

Nameless?

Levi?

The same?

How had she never figured that out for herself, long before she'd let herself start to trust Levi?

"Will you just listen to me, Echo?" He asked in a softer, hoarser tone.

"No." Echo shook her head firmly even though he couldn't see her. "You've had plenty of chances to tell me. Now go away. I need to take a shower and get dressed." She was glad that her voice didn't sound as shaky as she felt.

"I never meant to hurt you, fiery ember." He said, huskily. "This was never about you. It was about me."

"Then you're a selfish asshole." Her voice cracked just a little. "Because you dragged me into it, too. And you never gave a damn about how all this would affect me."

She was mad.

Hurt.

Disillusioned.

Crushed.

"I know that." He answered. "Open the door so I can try to explain. I'm not about to deny that I was selfish, but I'll make it up to you."

"You can't!" She snapped. "And I'll never give you the chance to get close to me a second time."

Her heart balked at the idea of not seeing Levi again, but she ignored it.

"You will." He growled. "I'm not going away, Echo."

She swiped the tears from her face angrily. "For God's sake, Levi, at least give me some time to get my thoughts together." Echo was hoping he'd leave if he thought she needed to pull herself together.

"I can give you time. I have nothing but time. I'll wait as long as it takes."

Somehow, coming from Levi, it sounded more like a threat than an offer to back off.

"Fine. Go. Just let me take a shower in peace, please." She said, through gritted teeth.

"I'll be in the house if you want to talk to me." He said, sounding reluctant.

"Not happening." She mumbled to herself. Louder, she said, "It's going to take time."

Eventually, she probably would have to face him. Echo was going to have things she wanted to say, but they wouldn't be something he'd want to hear. But she wasn't talking to him now. She couldn't. She had to lick a few of the wounds he'd inflicted before she'd be ready to see him.

"Like I said, I'll be there when you're ready."

Echo folded her arms in front of her. "Just tell me one thing."

"Ask." He said, huskily.

"Why me? Why did you do this?" It was the question that was haunting her the most.

He was quiet for a minute before he said, "Because I've been obsessed with you from the first moment I saw you at your high school graduation four years ago, fiery ember. I wanted to help you, but I wasn't in any kind of position to approach you. Hell, I'm probably still not. But it doesn't matter anymore. I know you, Echo, and everything changed the first time you offered to cook for me just because you wanted to do it. No matter what I did, I couldn't scare you away. And then I didn't want you to go."

Echo had no idea how to reply to that. So, she didn't. "One more question."

"Ask." He said, again. "I'm an open book to you right now."

She snorted, even though she was completely annoyed. Since when was Levi anything but closed up and brooding? "Are you standing outside talking to me through the door while you're naked?" She asked. She couldn't get that thought out of her head. He hadn't really had much time to get dressed.

"You'd have to open the door to find out." He said, in a graveled tone.

"I thought you were an open book." She said, drily.

"Not when I think there's a chance that you might let me in to find out." Levi stated, gruffly.

She shook herself. "Never mind. I'm going to go shower and get dressed."

"I put clothes on." He said, hesitantly.

"Good." Really, there was something sexy, but definitely disconcerting, about the thought of Levi outside, in view of everyone, with no clothes on. "We'll talk later."

"Just don't leave." He demanded.

Echo turned her back and walked away. She wasn't making any promises to him she couldn't keep, even though he didn't deserve that courtesy.

She dropped her towel, turned the water on in the bathroom, and stepped inside. Once she was away from Levi, she completely lost it, knowing he couldn't hear her sobs of pain and confusion as she leaned her head against the shower door, wishing the water could wash it all away.

* * *

"You do realize that this story sounds pretty crazy, especially considering that it's Levi you're talking about." Erwin said with a huge, masculine sigh.

Echo raised a brow at him as he sat on his leather sofa across from her. "Since when do I tell you anything that isn't true?"

She hadn't told Levi that she wouldn't leave, so the moment she'd donned clean clothing after her shower, she'd bolted in his Jeep. Echo had needed to get away, so she'd gone to Erwin's place. Yeah, maybe it wasn't the best location to hide out since he was Levi's friend, but Rachel had been out when she texted her. And maybe deep inside she'd wanted to talk to Erwin about it because he was close to Levi.

Echo guessed she somehow wanted to understand what Levi had done, and nobody knew him better than Erwin. Of course, she'd held the intimate details, but she'd spilled her guts about Nameless and Levi.

Erwin raked a hand through his perfect hair, which made him seem much more approachable. He seemed even more at home in a pair of old jeans and a college sweatshirt that looked like it was well worn. It occurred to her that she'd never seen him when he looked less than perfect. Right now, he was frowning, which was also very unusual for him.

He shook his head. "I have no idea why he did it." He confessed. "I know he went with Blaire to your high school graduation."

Echo stared at him in confusion. "Blaire went to my graduation?"

He shrugged. "She wanted to go so that you had somebody there to see you graduate, whether you knew it or not. You were top of your class, Echo. And your father wasn't going. I wasn't in town. So, Levi went with her."

She was stunned. She hadn't really known her stepmother, still didn't, so she was surprised. "That's…nice." She answered.

Erwin smiled. "Blaire is a pretty nice woman. You should get to know her better. She's always wanted a daughter."

Echo hesitated. "It's a little…awkward."

"Not really." He mused. "She doesn't want to replace your mother, Echo. She's always just wanted you to know that she cares."

"I don't know why." She admitted. "My father was a jerk to her."

"She isn't going to blame you for the sins of your father." He answered. "No one will. You should know that by now. If anything, because she knew your father, she always wanted to be the support system you never had. Even me."

"Even you?"

"Like I said before, Echo, I may have just met you, but I would like to be another friend to you. In fact, a lot of my and Blaire's friends would love to be the extended family you never got to have over the last few years.

"Everyone except Levi, that is." She mumbled.

Really, Echo was touched by Blaire's gesture of kindness. She'd never even known that somebody had been there to see her graduate. Of course, she'd been so nervous she hadn't even looked into the crowd. In fact, she'd barely stumbled her way through her speech.

"He was there." Erwin reminded her. "I can't pretend that I know where his mind was at back then. But he obviously gave a damn. Granted, his methods of keeping in touch and watching out for you were misleading. But Levi doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do. I guess you have to know how he was back then. After leaving the army, his head wasn't in a good place. Soon after that, he isolated himself because he didn't want to face the world. It makes sense that he wouldn't approach you directly."

"But he's had plenty of time to tell me the truth." Echo argued.

"Maybe." He agreed. "But it sounds like the stakes got higher for him once you'd met in person."

Yeah, they slept together twice when she knew him as Nameless, and then again when she knew him as Levi. Maybe Erwin had already surmised that she and Levi had been intimate, but she sure as hell wasn't going to share just how stupid she'd been about him.

Honestly, Echo had to admit that maybe it had been kind of a sweet gesture that he'd wanted to help her pay for her education, and to keep an eye on her wellbeing. Had she known the truth, Echo probably wouldn't have accepted his assistance. And it had been her who had assumed that Nameless was her father. She couldn't pin that on Levi since he'd never claimed to be her parent.

"It's not really the past that hurts me." She told Erwin. "It's the _now _thing. He should've told me the truth when we met in person, before I started working for him. We've been getting along so well. We went and checked out that new café in town, and we went to the farmer's market. Levi and I eat lunch and dinner together almost every day. I thought we were becoming…friends."

What else could she say? She didn't want to tell Erwin that she and Levi were fuck buddies.

Erwin's head jerked toward her. "He went out in town with you?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Levi doesn't go out." Erwin said, sounding stunned.

"He does now. He's…better."

He shook his head. "You've gotten a lot further with him in a short period of time than Blaire and I have in years. I can't imagine Levi sitting in a public place to eat anymore."

"He still blames himself for the death of his comrades." Echo shared. "I learned that he also lost two close friends of his. I think that's what he holds the blame onto."

"It doesn't make sense." Erwin said, in a low tone. "It was a horrible incident and a miscalculation on his part. Nobody blames him except himself. It feels like Levi died that day anyway because, he hasn't been the same since then." He smiled at Echo. "But you're starting to give me some hope that we might get him back."

She nodded. "I think you might. It's just taken him a while to realize that he needs his friends."

"Don't give up on him, Echo" He said, urgently. "Please. You're the only one who has been able to really get to him. Don't stop now. I know he hurt you, but it wasn't intentional. And he has to care a hell of a lot if you got him out of the house when it wasn't about work for him."

Echo couldn't tell Erwin the whole story. She couldn't tell him that she'd given Levi herself_,_ body, heart, and soul.

"He…did hurt me." Echo said, simply. "And I felt like an idiot when I realized that he and Nameless were one and the same. He…played me."

Erwin shot her a disgruntled look. "I'm not going to get into the fact that you should've told me the truth about your Nameless man." He said, unhappily. "But we can talk about that later."

She had a feeling he would lecture her at some point in the future, but she probably wouldn't mind all that much. Echo was starting to like the fact that Erwin really did consider her a friend.

He then asked, "You were falling for him, weren't you?"

Echo froze, not knowing exactly what to tell him. Finally, she decided to be candid. "Already have fallen, I'm afraid. That's why the whole thing hurts so badly."

"If I had to guess, I'd say Levi isn't feeling so great himself." Erwin pondered. "Echo, there's no way Levi would've hesitated to tell you the truth unless he cared about you so much that he was afraid you'd run away once you knew the truth."

"I did." She pointed out unhappily. "I'm going to need to get out of his guesthouse, too, since I just can't work for him anymore."

"Don't." Erwin argued. "Don't give up your job with SC Technologies. You said you loved working in the robotic program. Your dream job, remember?"

"It is." She said.

"Then stay with it." He suggested. "And I'm not just saying it because I want you to stick with Levi, even though I do. The experience is invaluable, Echo. You can use it toward your master's, and we can help you get your degree with a work/study program. We work with universities all the time to help our employees further their education. Don't let this incident destroy your goals. To hell with what Levi wants. Do it for yourself. Eventually, if you want to leave the company, you could go anywhere and get any job you want."

She frowned at him, but the wheels in her head were turning. Yes, she'd be giving up the opportunity of a lifetime for a new college grad. And Echo loved the work she was doing with Levi. But how in the hell could she be with him every single day without wanting to either punch him or fuck him?

"It's not like I wantto give up my job." Echo mumbled.

"Then hear him out." Erwin suggested. "Clear the air, and then get back to work. You don't have to like him. Hell, most people who work for him don't. You can make it all about work."

Problem was, she didn't know if she could do that. No matter what Levi said, she was going to walk around like one big mass of hurt for a very long time.

"I'll think about it." Echo said, noncommittally.

Maybe Erwin was right. She wasn't in a good financial situation to go anywhere. But she was already starting to save for her own vehicle and her own apartment. Did she really want to let a broken heart stop her from achieving the goals she'd dreamed about for a lifetime?

The doorbell rang, and it startled her.

"You better do more than think about it." Erwin said drily, as he rose. "That's probably Levi."

Echo panicked. She wasn't ready to see Levi yet. "How would he know that I'm here?"

"He texted right after you got here." He informed her. "I couldn't lie to him, Echo. He was worried, and I had no idea he'd show up."

"Traitor." She grumbled.

"Just rip off the Band-Aid and get it over and done. Remember what I said about not blowing your opportunities. Do this for yourself. But if you really aren't ready to see him, I'll send him back home."

She shook her head. "Don't. I don't want to be the one to cause a rift between you two. I probably shouldn't have come here in the first place." She stood up.

He shot her a disapproving look. "You're my friend, too. You should always be able to come to me."

Echo brushed imaginary wrinkles from her jeans and short-sleeved shirt. She knew she was stalling. Suddenly, she wanted to cry because Erwin acted so much like an overprotective brother. It had been so long since she'd had someone that gave a damn about her. She can do this. She can save as fast as she can and be business only with Levi until she had the funds to get a car and move.

Her stomach dropped, but she put her chin up. "Okay."

"Good." He answered, fondly. "You know, there is always another option."

"What?" She asked, her expression perplexed.

"You could stay here with me. I could find you another position at SC." He suggested. "I don't have a guesthouse, but it's a big home. Or you could let me get you any car you wanted, and a home."

The doorbell started to ring over and over. Obviously, Levi was getting impatient.

Echo shot him a weak smile. "You know that's not going to happen. But thank you for offering."

"Thought you'd say that." Erwin rumbled, as he moved toward the front door.

Echo followed him reluctantly, knowing she was going to have to guard her emotions carefully. She'd never let Levi Ackerman get close enough to hurt her again.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

Levi gave up ringing the doorbell and started pounding on it with his fist. "What in the fuck are they doing?" He said to himself, as he stood on Erwin's doorstep.

The last thing he wanted was to be jealous of his friend …but he was. He didn't like Echo being there. Levi didn't like the fact that she ran to Erwin when she needed him, and not to him. He didn't like that she ran away in the first place. He'd told her not to leave. And it really pissed the hell out of him that Erwin was there for her and he wasn't.

"For God's sake, Levi, get a grip." Erwin grumbled, as he pulled the door open.

"Where is she?" Levi asked, without preamble through gritted teeth.

He scrutinized Erwin with sharp eyes, a glance that told him that he looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. And that bothered him…a lot.

"I didn't touch her." Erwin replied in a low voice, like he knew what Levi was thinking.

"You better not." Levi rumbled.

"Do you really think I'd do that when I know now that you care about her?" Erwin sounded slightly wounded.

No. No, he really didn't think Erwin would try anything with Echo, and he'd know that for sure because he trusted his friend…if he had a _rational_ mind. But every bit of Levi's sanity had left him the very first time he'd seen Echo.

"You never knew I cared before." Levi said in a gruff voice, that he hardly recognized as his own. "I guess I should've told you."

"I know it now." He said quietly, and then opened the door wider.

Levi strode past him to go find Echo. He didn't have to look far, he could see her as soon as he walked inside. Levi's eyes devoured her. She looked beautiful, tired, and disheartened. He could see that her beautiful dark eyes were slightly red, probably from crying. And he fucking hated himself all over again.

"Echo?" He said, hesitantly. He moved forward, but she lifted her arm to keep him from getting too close.

"Don't." She warned. "I willhear you out, but then we go back to business only. I can't trust you again, Levi, and you'll have to understand that. But I don'twant to give up my dream job, and the chance to further my education just because you're an asshole. We both care about this robotics project, and that'll have to be our common ground. No more eating together, no more personal discussions, and no more…touching at all."

He heard Erwin snicker quietly behind him, and he wanted to turn around and punch him. No doubt he'd been the instigator in making up some of these rules.

Bastard!

Her look was resigned, so he grunted, "Okay."

Really, what choice did he have? It was either have her around, and not touch her. Or not see her at all. Since the second option was unacceptable, the decision was easy. His first priority would be getting her trust back. Maybe he didn't deserve it, but he still wanted it.

"I'm sorry." Levi grumbled. He rarely uttered those two little words, and he heard Erwin cough suddenly behind him because he knew that about him.

She put her chin up. "Apology not accepted. What you did is unforgivable."

"You will accept it." Levi told her in what came out as an arrogant tone.

"Why? Because you demand it?" Echo asked, in a dry tone.

"No." He hesitated for a moment. "Because I know you have an enormous capacity for forgiveness, Echo."

"N-Not this time." She said in a tone that was little more than a whisper.

Levi got a glimpse of her vulnerability, and it punched him in the gut. He'd done this to her. He'd made her afraid of him and he didn't like it. Even when he was at his worst, which was most of the time, she'd never shown a hint of fear. Now, when he was ready to spill his guts, she was hesitant.

Erwin closed the door behind them as he said, "So Levi, I was just giving Echo some other options."

He turned and scowled at him. "What?"

He shrugged. "I told her that she could come live with me, and I could place her somewhere else in SC if she's not comfortable staying with you. She wants to be financially independent, and I can get her there."

"Over. My. Dead. Body." Levi growled. "She wants to work in the robotics program. And I don't want her here. I want her in the guesthouse."

Erwin raised a brow. "Don't you think that's her decision? Echo is a friend to me as well, and I don't want to see her upset anymore."

His words were a warning, and Levi got that. Hell, maybe Erwin even had a right to chastise him. But… "I'd never intentionally hurt her. And she's coming with me."

The 'she's a friend to me' comment had calmed him down, but not much. Levi would be damned if she would end up living with Erwin.

Levi added. "I can offer her more of what she wants. Once she gets her college diploma, I can work on helping her get the master's degree she wants while she's working in a specialty area she's always wanted to be in."

"I offered to buy her a vehicle and a home." Erwin mused. "But, of course, she refused."

Certainly, she did. His fiery ember had never been willing to take a dime from anyone. He knew damn well that she wouldn't have taken his help in college had she not believed Levi was her father.

"She has the money in her account to buy all that herself." Levi said, in a graveled voice. "I put it there."

"Helloooo." Echo called as she waved her hand. "I can hear you both right here." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Levi. "And you promised you were taking the money out."

Okay, so he had lied. Levi did want her to be happy, but he also wanted to make sure she was safe if anything ever happened to him. He was guessing now wasn't the time to tell her that he'd altered his will, too, and she'd be a very rich woman if he died. Unlike her worthless father, Levi wasn't willing to see his fiery ember in a jam if he wasn't around to help her if she needed it.

"I haven't done it yet." He hedged.

"No offense," Erwin drawled. "But is there something I don't know?"

"None of your damn business." Levi told him in an annoyed voice. "But Echo will always be taken care of. She doesn't need your help."

Levi was never going to make it necessary for Echo to rely on anyone financially ever again. She hated it, but she had no choice, until now.

Echo crossed her arms in front of her and glared at Levi. "One of my rules is that you take that money out of my account."

Shit. He wasn't sure if he could do that.

"No negotiations." She finished firmly.

Levi knew he needed to stand his ground, or he'd lose it. "If you let me sign the Jeep over to you. It's time for me to replace it anyway."

She snorted. "It only has about five hundred miles on it. It's almost brand new."

"It's last year's model."

"Which makes it disposable?" She asked, her voice holding a bit of criticism.

"Which makes it yours." He corrected, knowing damn well she'd never take the vehicle he really wanted to buy her. "No negotiations."

Jesus!Levi felt like he was arguing a court case, and she was the toughest judge he'd ever come across. But he wouldn't change her, even if he could. Her stubborn determination had gotten her as far as she was at a very young age. If she didn't have that, she wouldn't be Echo.

"Fine." She hissed. "Do it. I really like the Jeep, but I'm paying you back in installments."

Levi shook his head. "Not negotiable. Consider it a graduation gift from me or no deal."

Her eyes were filled with conflict, and he watched as she chewed on her bottom lip. She was thinking. He knew that expression, and it was dangerous. Echo was weighing her options. Unfortunately, she didn't have many, and he hated that.

"Okay." She finally said, in a defeated voice. "Then I'll only have to save a little longer to vacate your home."

Erwin finally spoke up. "Not fair. If you're taking a vehicle from him, you should be willing to let me help you buy a place of your own."

Levi was relieved when she shook her head firmly and shot Erwin a look that told him she wasn't going to agree. "No. You and I are _not_ negotiating, Erwin. You've done more than enough for a woman who you didn't even know until a few months ago and isn't even related by blood."

Levi had no idea why he was so damn happy that she was willing to make a deal with him, but not Erwin.

"Just know I'm here if you need me then." He agreed unhappily.

Her face softened, and it bugged the hell out of Levi that her tender expression was for Erwin. Any other time, he'd be happy that Erwin was helping someone out. He had always had a lot more heart than Levi did. But his admiration for his capacity to give without wanting anything in return didn't apply when it came to Echo. Levi wanted to be the one to help her when she needed it. He wanted to be the one to get every one of her soft smiles. He wanted to be the one who was always there when she needed someone to talk to. And dammit,he wanted her to come to him first. Always. Because she trusted him completely. Levi wanted to be her everything, but he also wanted to be the first one she talked to when she needed something. Maybe that was way too much to ask for, especially now, but it didn't keep him from wanting all those things.

Levi had probably always wanted that, and more. He just hadn't realized he could give her that in the past. He'd been a selfish bastard, now, he knew better. Knowing Echo had changed everything for him and there was no going back. He was fucking doomed because he cared more about her than he did myself.

"T-Take the terms or leave them. I don't care." Echo said.

Levi's brows drew together as he looked at her, and he knew she actually _did_ care. She only made that little stutter sound when she was nervous. "Done. Let's go."

"I have to go to the bathroom." She said as she turned, and marched toward the bathroom.

Levi took a deep breath and tried to release the tension in his body as he watched her walk away.

Erwin leaned against the door as he said. "Don't hurt her, Levi. She's had enough of that in her past. If you aren't really serious, then let her go."

He jerked his head toward him. "Why? So you can pick up the pieces afterward?"

"You know damn well that's not what I want." Erwin replied, anger in his tone now. "I want you to be happy. I want Echo to be happy. I care about her. Not in the same way you do, but she's never had anybody who gave a damn. She deserves to have some kind of family. What in the hell were you thinking when you decided to be some nameless stalker?"

'So, she'd obviously told him everything.' Levi thought. But he knew instinctively that she hadn't told him about the fact that they'd been intimate. So he wasn't about to mention that he'd wanted to fuck her from the very first time he'd laid eyes on her.

"I _wasn't_ thinking." Levi admitted gruffly. "She'd looked so damn alone when I saw her at her high school graduation, and I didn't know if she had the money for the education she wanted. The woman was top of her class. She deserved to go to college, and I think we both know that her father wasn't about to pay a dime to contribute."

"Agreed. But did you really need to be an anonymous guy to help her?"

"You think she would've agreed any other way? Yes, I gave her a phone to communicate, and I checked in with her once in a while, but we really didn't talk much. I just wanted to get her through school. The last thing I wanted to do was remind her that someone was helping. I had no damn idea that she thought Nameless was her father. I didn't find that out until recently."

"You could've told her, Levi." Erwin said. "You've had plenty of time to come clean. My guess is that you were afraid she'd leave."

Levi nodded slowly. After all, this was Erwin. It was hard to bullshit him when he really wanted to talk. "I wanted her to stay."

"Are we talking a long-term relationship?" Erwin pried.

"I'm talking fucking forever." Levi rumbled.

Erwin grinned. "Then I'm willing to help you."

"The last thing I need is your help." Levi told him, making sure it sounded like a warning. "You've done enough."

He turned to Echo, who was making her way back to the door. "I'm ready." She said, glumly. "I'll see you back at the house."

Levi grabbed her hand. "We'll ride together. Erwin, can you get the Jeep back to my place?"

"Whatever you need." He said, amiably. "By the way, you _are_ coming to Blaire's birthday party, right?"

"I'll let you know." Levi said, evasively as he pulled Echo toward the door.

She stopped. "My last condition." She said quietly, as she tugged her hand. "You go to Blaire's birthday party. It would make her happy."

Levi was silent for a moment before he said grudgingly, "If you're willing to go with me." He didn't really need her encouragement to get out anymore, but he was willing to use his reclusive tendencies as leverage.

"I don't have the clothes to go to a fancy party—"

"You'll shop with my credit card." He said, firmly.

Her soft, sad sigh slammed him in the gut before she murmured, "I'll find something."

"Send me the information." He barked at Erwin as he tightened his grip on Echo's hand, opened the door, and made their exit.

His heart hammered against his chest wall as he felt her hand squeeze back just a little in encouragement because she thought going to the party would be hard for him. Even when she was pissed off and hurt, she was still supporting him. As Levi helped Echo into the car, he knew he was completely screwed.

* * *

Echo was glad they were in the cover of darkness as Levi pulled out of Erwin's driveway.

"So talk." She told him. She didn't want to be alone with him in the guesthouse, and they had a pretty long drive back to Tucson, even though the traffic was light because it was getting really late.

He didn't argue. "Where do you want me to start?"

It wasn't like Levi to be so incredibly agreeable, so Echo answered, "I already know that you went to my high school graduation, and I'm assuming you just wanted to help."

"Yes." He answered. "And I had a feeling you wouldn't accept help if I offered it. Plus, I was attracted to you, so I didn't want to give my identity away."

His comment stunned her into silence for a moment. "You didn't knowme."

"Didn't matter." He grumbled. "There was something about you, even back then, that I connected with, Echo. You looked sad, and uncomfortable, even though you did an incredible job of getting through your speech."

"I was...I did. I was hoping nobody would notice."

"I noticed, though I doubt many other people did. I was pretty much feeling the same way, so maybe that's why. But that's why I stepped in to try to help you get your education. To make sure you were okay. It's not fair that you were so intelligent and driven, yet you lacked opportunity. What's right about that?"

"Nothing, I guess. But my struggles have made me who I am now. I don't think I'd change anything." At that moment, Echo realized that she _was_ content with herself. Maybe it had been a long road, but she wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. And she wouldn't be here if not for her path and her past. She loved what she was accomplishing in robotics, and she was exactly where she dreamed she could be.

"I'm glad you're happy." He said, roughly. "But don't tell me it had to be that damn hard."

Echo smiled into the darkness. As fierce as Levi could be, he did have a heart.

"So, you decided to help." She summed up. "But I rarely heard from you in college. Of course, I thought you were my father."

"I never claimed to be." He said. "Honestly, I was hoping you'd just see me as a friend who wanted to help, and not ask a lot of questions. I left the job of sending you money and paying your tuition to my assistant. I told him to send you enough to be very comfortable while you were in school. It was only later that I realized how little he sent. I should've checked. But I thought you were safe."

"I was." She told him. "I had plenty of money to live."

"I wanted you to do more than just survive." He said, in a hoarse baritone filled with remorse. "And the last thing I wanted was for you to be working in a damn bar. Too many drunk and horny men there. Dangerous."

Echo snorted. "No worries. No one was about to hit on me_._ I was usually exhausted, and I wore no makeup. Nobody really noticed me as long as I brought them their drinks and bar food. I had gained the dreaded freshman fifteen and a bit extra. So there wasn't a single man who even looked."

"I would've looked." He rumbled.

She rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see her. "So, let's move on to the…funeral."

"I let Erwin think I was out of the country, but I wanted to know how you were doing."

"You _were_ stalking me?"

"Watching out for you." He corrected. "I never meant to touch you. I never meant to talk to you. But when I heard you crying, I couldn't let you imagine that you were alone. You weren't from the moment I saw you. I wasn't thinking when I pulled you into that boathouse. I just wanted to make you feel better, and I knew I could as long as you didn't see me. But once I felt you, once I smelled you, I wanted to fuck you, Echo. I shouldn't have let myself near you, and I hated myself for that, too. Shit…it never even occurred to me that you could still be a virgin."

"I don't regret it, Levi." Echo said, bluntly. "Like I said, I wasn't saving my V-card. I'd just never been tempted to give it away. You made it good." Her heart was fluttering as she thought about just how good he'd made her time.

"It should've been more than good."

She wasn't about to tell him that he'd given her more pleasure than she'd ever had in her entire life. She was too pissed off to share that with him. "And the stunt in my bedroom?"

"Once wasn't enough." He said, simply. "I craved you, Echo. I wanted to be with you, but I still didn't want you know who I was."

Echo ignored the desire to tell him how much she wanted the same thing. "And all the time in between then and today?" She'd deserved to know exactly who she was screwing before he'd rocked her world earlier in the evening.

"I tried to tell you. Several times. But after I'd spent time with you, I didn't want you to walk away."

"I thought you were afraid of the light. God, do you know how worried I was? I was concerned that Nameless had some kind of phobia about the light and couldn't come out during the daytime."

"I _was_ afraid of the light. You were the sunshine, and you scared the shit out of me." He answered, morosely.

"Why?" She asked, astonished. "We were becoming…friends."

"I don't fuck friends." He said, in a raw voice. "I wanted more. I'm not going to lie about that. But I also didn't want to pull you into a dark place with me."

Echo would've gone anywhere he wanted her to go before she'd known he was her Nameless Hero. "Bottom line, I should have had the choice whether I'd go or stay." She said, shakily.

She was fighting a battle with herself. On one hand, he'd helped her like nobody else ever had. On the other hand, his betrayal had hurt like a bitch. Echo had felt them drawing closer, and she'd been just as drawn to him as he'd been to her. Probably had been since the very beginning. Like a moth to a flame…

"I know." He conceded. "I am sorry, my fiery ember. More than you'll ever know." He hesitated for a moment. "Would you have stayed if I'd told you the truth?"

She sighed. "I don't know. But I know I wouldn't have felt as betrayed if you'd told me yourself."

"If I wasn't Nameless, would you have given more to me as Levi?"

"In a heartbeat." She confessed. "Regardless of my behavior, I don't exactly sleep around. I cared about you, or I wouldn't have had sex with you. Nameless came to me when I was weaker and needing some kind of escape. My eyes were wide open with you, Levi. I had sex with you because I wanted…you."

"But you wanted Nameless, too." He argued.

"Only because _he_ was _you_. I get the whole connection thing. I felt it from the very start. The sex didn't feel wrong because I felt the attraction to _you._" Echo was determined to be candid with him. "I can't really explain it any better than that. When we met in person, it was the same thing, the same draw. Honestly, I should have connected the two of you way before today. But the _surface _emotions were so different. Nameless was wild for me, but Levi seemed…indifferent. Maybe even angry that I'd barged into his life. I didn't see your passion until…tonight."

"I've always been crazy about you, Echo. I was an asshole because you threatened all of the walls I'd built around myself. But if you know nothing else, know that I've always cared. I never meant to make you distrust me."

Did she really believe that Levi had never meant to hurt her? Maybe part of her did. "It's my walls that are up now." She informed him.

"No matter how long it takes, I'll pull them back down." He growled.

She shivered, knowing he was probably going to try. "I took a chance on you." Echo explained. "I can't do it twice."

"I'm not letting go, Echo" He warned her.

Then maybe she'll have to, no matter how difficult it will be. "We agreed to keep this strictly business after I'd heard you out." She reminded him.

"And I'll keep that agreement, until you tell me otherwise." Levi said, amiably.

Echo was quiet as he drove back to his house. There wasn't much more to say. After his explanation, all the little things with Nameless fell into place. As they arrived back home, parting ways with only a few words, she had to wonder if there hadn't been a little part of her that had always hoped that Nameless was Levi. She was calm as she walked to the guesthouse, unlocked the door and stepped inside. Once she'd closed the door, the tears she'd been holding back started to flow.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

Levi and Echo didn't say a word about the past over the next several days. Instead, they worked in silence. Sure, they talked about business when necessary, but they otherwise got lost in what they were doing, and she left his house promptly at five o'clock. He'd made the Jeep officially hers, though, so she felt more comfortable taking off to meet Rachel whenever she wanted to, but Echo couldn't help missing the off time she'd spent with Levi. She'd had time to think about what he had said, and his motives for covering up the fact that he was Nameless. While her rational mind could kind of understand it, her heart was still crushed.

The first few days with him at work hadn't been difficult because she'd still been angry. But today, she was having a hard time not sneaking glances at him, wondering what he was thinking. Echo sighed and leaned back in her lab chair when he had taken a break, trying to relax while he was out of sight. She stood up and stretched. It was almost lunchtime, and she was ready to take a break. Skipping breakfast was normal for her and all she even really wanted was coffee. But she was starving by afternoon. Echo jumped as a paper bag plopped down in front of her. She recognized the logo on the side almost immediately.

"What's this?" She asked Levi, as he set his own food in front of him.

"Lunch." He said abruptly. "Tuna melt, beer-battered fries and chocolate chip cookies."

All Echo's favorites. There was a casual place in town that she'd told him about one day while they were eating lunch some time ago. She'd mentioned all of her favorites there, and he'd remembered every one of them.

She felt the side of the bag, "It's still warm."

He lifted a brow. "You think I'd feed you cold food?"

"You aren't supposed to be feeding me _at all_." Echo said. "We don't eat together anymore."

She'd been leaving to go back to the guesthouse to grab a sandwich or fruit to take with her for a walk on the trials during her afternoon breaks. Echo didn't have to wonder how he'd kept the food hot. Levi had resources that most people didn't, and she was sure billionaires rarely ate cold food.

"Eat." He demanded. "Before your food gets cold."

Echo watched as he pulled a burger from his bag and proceeded to tear into it. But he was watching her to see what she was going to do. She could feel it.

"I really appreciate it, but I can't—"

"Not negotiable." Levi growled. "Eat."

She rolled her eyes but proceeded to open the bag. The smell almost had her salivating. She and Levi had started using their "not negotiable" phrase like it was a sexual safe word ever since they'd met up at Erwin's place. By mutual understanding, they seemed to know that it meant they were at a hard limit, and there was no give once they said it. Neither one of them abused it, so they mutually respected those limits.

Echo put everything on the desk in front of her and started eating. "How did you remember everything I told you I liked?"

"There isn't much that you tell me that I don't remember." He answered, vaguely as he polished off his burger.

He was right about that. Levi's memory was ridiculously good.

She closed her eyes as she bit into one half of her sandwich, she chewed, enjoying every bite. "Hmm…so good."

"Do you mind not making every morsel of food you put into your mouth look like a sexual experience?" He asked hoarsely.

Echo's eyes popped open and she swallowed. Levi was watching her intensely, his eyes stormy.

She took a gulp from the bottle of water that was sitting beside her. "Sorry. I didn't know that I did that."

She knew her face was flushed. He was staring at her like he'd already stripped her clothes off and started to fuck her.

He pulled his eyes away and took a few slugs of water. "It's usually something I find fascinating about you, but right now, it's making my dick inconveniently hard."

Echo kept her eyes open as she consumed her sandwich in silence, and then started on the fries. "What's sexy about watching a woman eat?" She finally asked quietly.

"Not all women." He rasped. "Just you. It reminds me of how you looked when you were coming around me. You looked gorgeous as hell. Since you enjoy your food, your face has the sameexpression when you're eating something you really like. If we still had the same relationship, I'd have your beautiful body bent over this table naked right now. It's hard to watch you eat without wanting to fuck you until you're screaming my name."

Echo drew in a sharp breath, her mind going there_._ Staring at the surface in front of her, she could see the image of herself bent over for him, only half naked because she and Levi had been too eager to wait. Echo saw herself moaning, straining backward as he plunged into her from behind, his hands on her hips, guiding her…

"We've never done…that." She muttered, not guarding her words.

Their eyes met and clashed, staring at each other as their lascivious thoughts rattled around in their heads.

"There's a lot of things we haven't done, but that doesn't mean I haven't thought about it. It would be good." He said hoarsely, his eyes still glued to hers. "My cock would be so deep that you'd never doubt that it belonged there."

She shuddered and pulled her brain back into reality. "Not negotiable." She croaked, as she turned her head away from his laser sharp stare.

He leaned back in his chair with a satisfied expression that made her want to punch him. He did that on purpose. Levi wanted to remind her that her body wanted his, just as much as his wanted hers.

"It's just…sex." Echo said sharply.

"It's more than that, beautiful, and you know it." He said in a low baritone that vibrated right through her. "I've had sex_,_ and it was never like that."

"Not negotiable." She said, in a desperate tone.

Echo couldn't sit there and keep talking about sex with the man who haunted her wet dreams. There was no denying that she wanted to tear off her clothes and beg him to fuck her. But it wasn't going to happen. He was her boss. She's his employee. That was it, and nothing more.

He smirked like he knew she was lying to herself. "The connection is still there, Echo. Neither one of us can ignore it."

"I can!" She snapped back at him. "We made a deal."

Echo was squeezing her thighs together like she needed to protect her virgin status that she'd already given up to him. In reality, her panties were wet, and her core was spasming so badly it hurt. All she had to do was imagine a hot fantasy about Levi, and she was so ready to go that it was pathetic.

"We never really specified how long that particular deal would last." He answered smoothly. "I told you that I'd wait until you decided otherwise."

"Until I say it's over." She said defensively.

Levi raised his eyebrows. "Does that mean there _will _be an end to it?"

She started putting her food wrappers into the bag. "No…yes…oh hell, I don't know."

She was so damn flustered that she couldn't see up from down. It was confusing that Echo still wanted him just as badly as she always had. She was frustrated and pissed, but Echo was also incredibly…sad. She stood up and snatched the bag to go throw it away. She needed some distance, and she needed it now_._

Her eyes welled with tears, and she wasn't sure if it was because she was sad, or because she was frustrated. Why did he have to be so stubborn? It wasn't like she didn't know that he was tenacious. She just didn't expect him to be that way with her.

Echo turned her back on him. "I don't want to play this game with you, Levi." And dammit, she couldn't keep the pain out of her voice.

"Echo, wait!" He demanded as he sprang out of his chair, took her arm, and turned her around.

"I can't do this." She said shakily. "I can't."

"Fuck!" He exploded. "Don't cry."

She flinched as he gently wiped a tear from her cheek. Unfortunately, she couldn't stop once the flood started. Her disappointment and sadness washed over her with a force that wasn't going to be contained.

"Echo." He said, in a soothing voice, as he wrapped his arms around her. "Stop. I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry. I'm not playing games."

She looked up at him, her vision blurry. "I just don't understand why? I trusted you so much, Levi. I cared so much. I want to believe that you cared, too, but it's really confusing."

He fisted the material of her cotton shirt and pulled her closer. "Dammit, Echo." He rasped, as he pulled her into his body. "I do care. I always have. I know you don't get it, and I know it was a stupid thing to do, but I was fucking terrified that you'd walk away."

She could feel the tension in his body as it shuddered when her body collided full force with his.

"And what would've happened if I would've walked away after I knew?" She asked breathlessly.

Levi tipped her chin up further so she could see him with them being so close. "I would've found you, no matter what it took. You're mine, my fiery ember. You were always meant to be mine. I have no idea why I fought it for so long. I think I've always known it, but I didn't want you to live the way that I live. I wanted you to have more than a broken man. You deserve more."

All she wanted was him, despite her anger and feeling like she'd been used. But she couldn't shake the fact that he'd done all that he had to try to protect her in his own, twisted way. She loved him. She loved him so much that Echo just couldn't let go. Realizing she was completely screwed, she let him hold her while she bawled like a child on his shoulder. He didn't push for anything more. He just stroked her hair while she cried. Comforting her…soothing her…insisting that she stopped crying because he didn't like it, and it was killing him. Which just made her cry even more.

* * *

Inevitably, the mortification of what Echo had done in front of Levi struck her the next morning. But she felt a lot stronger, even though she was embarrassed. They hadn't gone back to work yesterday. He'd carried her inside and got her a very large glass of wine as she sat with him on his couch, completely spent emotionally. Eventually, she'd forced herself to crawl out of his arms, muttered something to him that she couldn't remember, and dashed back to the guesthouse.

The wine had relaxed her so much that she'd slept like the dead until this morning because Echo hadn't gotten much sleep the last few nights. She looked in the bathroom mirror while she confined her hair to a ponytail. Thank God it was Saturday, and she didn't need to confront Levi again this morning. Even though she hated shopping, Echo was on her way out to try to find a dress for her stepmother's birthday ball. She flinched as her eyes locked onto her own reflection.

"What does he see in me that I don't see myself?" She asked constructively.

She wasn't wearing even a hint of makeup and her face was…plain. Unremarkable, really. She frowned as she examined herself, not looking at just her superficial expression for the first time in her life. She's a survivor. She's intelligent. She had dreams that she wanted to accomplish. She was who she was, and she was never going to change that. Strangely, she was okay with all of those things, even if she couldn't exactly see them in her face. If Levi had done one thing for Echo, and he'd actually done plenty, he'd made her realize that she was so much more than just what showed in her reflection. She could be wanted and desired for who she was instead of what showed only on the surface.

"But I still have to find a dress." Echo mumbled, as she turned away from the mirror and ambled into the kitchen.

She was about to pick up her purse and go when there was a loud knock on the door.

Levi?

Who else could it be?

She let out a long sigh as she opened the door. It wasn't like she could exactly ignore him. He didlive steps away from her inside a big mansion.

"Are you okay?" Those were his first words as he brushed by her and closed the door behind him.

"I'm fine." She said stiffly, as they faced each other.

It was an automatic response. In reality, Echo _wasn't _fine. She was confused, and her heart was racing as she caught his masculine scent. Immediately, her instinct was to jump into his arms, and climb inside him. Levi made her feel the most primitive responses she'd ever experienced. And she couldn't say that she was exactly comfortable with needing to rip his clothes off the minute he walked through the door just so she could be closer to him.

He scowled at her. "You look kind of tired. Were you going somewhere?"

Echo still felt a little sleepy because she hadn't gotten herself a second cup of coffee. "Not enough caffeine yet." She told him. "But I feel good."

He strode into the kitchen. "I could use some myself." He said brusquely, as he pulled two mugs from the cupboard and started making both of them a cup. "Where did you say you were going?"

"I didn't." Echo answered.

Levi shot her a disgruntled look. "Are you running away?"

"Hardly." She lied, because a part of her was trying to clear her head by putting some physical distance between them. "I need to find something to wear for Blaire's party. Is it super dressy? What are you wearing?"

He shot her a grin as he waited for the mug to fill up. "The last time I went to a party she hosted it was formal. So I'll be wearing a tux. In fact, whenever she has a party, it's always formal wear. Not because she's pretentious, but because Blaire has always liked to dress up. She does love her clothes."

Echo's shoulders sagged, feeling defeated. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

She could see the dollar signs right now. She'd need a dressy dress, one item she never saw the need to buy. "Okay." Echo said unhappily, as she accepted the coffee from him. It had extra creamer, and a few packets of stevia, just the way she liked it.

"Were you coming to get my credit card like you promised?" He asked gruffly.

"I never agreed to that." She argued.

She hadn't said she _wouldn't,_ but she sure as hell hadn't agreed. Echo wasn't letting him pay for her clothes, even if she was going to the party to make him more comfortable.

"I'm paying." Levi demanded in an ominous tone.

"No." Echo insisted. "Levi, I have money. I've been saving since my first paycheck."

"Not negotiable." He insisted. "This is an expense you'd occur strictly because you're going with me. I thought most women loved to spend money on a credit card that doesn't put them in debt."

She took a quick sip of her coffee because it was still hot. "I'm not most women." Echo leaned her hip against the breakfast bar as he came out of the kitchen with his own mug.

"Not like I don't already know that." He said unhappily, as he sat his mug down on the breakfast bar and dug into the pocket of his jeans for his wallet.

God, he was gorgeous. Her eyes devoured him when he wasn't looking, taking in his lean body, and musky male scent that always overwhelmed her senses the minute he was within smelling distance. Honestly, Levi had always been overpowering, a guy she couldn't possibly be in the same room with and not feel like he'd taken over her senses. And it wasn't just his sheer physical presence, it was the way he made her feel_. _He was intimidating, but strangely, Echo had never been afraid of him. If anything, his rough persona was part of his charm, even if it was a little annoying at times.

"Here." He held out his black Amex card.

She hesitated. Even though she wasn't exactly a connoisseur of billionaire credit cards, she knew that sucker had a hell of a lot of credit.

"Take it." He said in a tone that sounded almost like a warning.

Echo snatched it from his hand, picked up her purse, and put it gingerly into her zipper pocket. She could always pay herself and give it back to him.

"I'll check to make sure you used it." He said in a casual tone, that she knew was anything but offhand.

"What are you? A mind reader?"

"Nope. I just know _you._"

"I have savings now, Levi." She reiterated.

He took a slug of coffee before he said, "I reversed the deposit. You don't have much. I only left ten thousand in your account for emergencies."

"You really did it?" She gaped at him.

He nodded sharply. "I promised I would. It seemed important to you."

"It is. Thank you. But why did you leave money?"

"Not negotiable." Levi said huskily. "I want to make sure that you have something if you need it. I figured that would get you through any emergency situation."

Her heart tripped. Having been wealthy his entire life, he probably had no idea that so much money would probably be a decent start on a down payment for a home. There is no momentary emergency that would cost that much.

Echo sat her nearly empty mug on the breakfast bar and crossed her arms. "I have no idea what kind of an emergency would need ten grand to resolve."

He shook his head. "Not negotiable. I took almost all of it back."

She heaved a sigh. She didn't have to use it and Levi would never notice it was gone.

"Fine." She agreed.

"Where are you going to shop?"

"I might go to Phoenix."

"Long drive." He said with a scowl.

"I'm not helpless, Levi, and it's not all that far. Only around an hour."

She wasn't going to let him bully her out of driving for a couple of hours so she could get what she needed at a much better price.

"Just text me when you get there, and buy yourself a new phone. Yours is a relic now." He demanded, relenting reluctantly. "You need something reliable."

"Mine has always been reliable." Echo argued.

"Buy it, or I'll get you one myself." He cautioned. "I need my employees to be accessible in case I need information quickly."

"So, this is about business?"

He shrugged. "Not really. But it seemed like a good excuse."

She started to laugh. Echo couldn't help herself. The man was being honest to the point of bluntness, and it was pretty amusing. When she finally recovered, he wasn't laughing. "God, Levi, you're annoyingly bossy."

He folded his arms in front of him, which made his arms bulge against the cotton of his T-shirt. "And you're irritatingly stubborn." Levi ground out.

Echo held a hand up in defeat. "I'll buy a phone if it makes you happy. I'd hate to not be available if you have a laboratory emergency." She said drily. "But I think you could easily just take a couple of steps to find me here."

"I want you to be safe, Echo." He answered stiffly. "It's important to me."

His words squeezed at her heart. How long had it been since anyone gave a damn about her safety? Probably not since her mother had passed away and somehow, it touched her that he cared.

"Done." She said in a tremulous voice. "You win…this time."

"I won't get used to that." He answered regrettably.

She looked at him sharply. "I wouldn't." She agreed. "You aren't going to always win."

"Actually, I rarely do." Levi scoffed. "But I'm not compromising on your safety. Ever."

Those words squeezed a little bit tighter on her heart. "It might be nice to see your number come up as Levi instead of Nameless."

He nodded toward her phone on the counter. "It's already in there. I didn't use my personal number as Nameless. But I did add my personal number when you started to work for me."

She picked up her phone and scrolled through it.

**Levi**.

His number was there, under his own name.

"You went through my phone?" She asked irritably.

"I didn't. I wouldn't. I simply added my own number."

Instinctively, she knew he was telling the truth. "I'll lock it from now on." Echo mumbled.

"You should." He said agreeably.

Echo looked at him, and he looked completely unrepentant. She turned away and picked up her purse. She was torn. While it touched her that he was always looking out for her safety, Echo would've preferred that he asked first before he'd added his number.

"Please ask me next time." She said sharply.

"Would you have let me add it?" He asked sincerely.

"Of course. I would've done it myself if you wanted me to have your personal number. You _are_ my boss."

"Okay." He agreed. "Will you add me to your new phone?"

Echo bit her lip to keep from smiling. His actions weren't a control struggle, and she knew it. Levi was just used to getting everything his way. He had no idea that she just wanted him to _ask her._ If he saw something as necessary, he just did it.

"I'll think about it." She said, deadpan. The man couldn't keep getting away with doing whatever he wanted.

She started toward the door.

"Echo!" Levi said sternly.

She turned around.

He added, "I really don't ever want to see you cry again."

"Sadness is part of life, Levi." She said, in a gentler voice. "You've been sad yourself for way too long."

"No, Echo. Not _sad_. I've been empty. You changed that for me. I can't not feel shit anymore. Believe me, I've tried, and knowing your unhappiness was caused by me breaks my damn heart."

"Haven't I ever made you sad then?" Echo had to ask.

He shook his head. "Never. There's nothing I don't like about you. Even your stubbornness. It makes you…you."

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them back. His unconditional acceptance of her, good and bad, was one of the reasons Echo loved him so much. And yeah, she was in love with Levi Ackerman. Totally. Completely. And even painfully.

"I'm going to cry in the future." She warned him. "The sad times make me appreciate the good things even more."

"Fuck!" He cursed unhappily. "Then I swear,_I'll_ never give you a reason to cry over something _I _did again."

God, she loved this man so damn much. She had to force herself not to fly into his arms and forgive everything he'd done. Maybe he had lied to her. Maybe he had taken advantage. Maybe he had made her feel humiliated and broken. But Echo also knew all he wanted now was to put her together again. He made a big mistake, but wasn't that forgivable? God knew she'd made plenty of errors in her own life. Despite his highhandedness, he wanted her to be happy.

"I'm scared." Echo blurted out as she went to the door and opened it. "You could easily destroy me."

For some reason, she really needed to guard her heart and her emotions. Probably because she loved him too damn much. If she got in too deep, she'd probably never recover if their relationship ended.

"I'd never destroy you, Echo." He said hoarsely. "Maybe I've fucked up. I haven't done everything right. But all I've ever wanted was to protect you."

"I think I understand that now." She admitted. "But I'm in love with you, Levi." Echo didn't understand why she was telling him, but she had to be honest. "I think I've been from the beginning. Like I said, I get the connection between us. It isn't something you've experienced alone. But loving you makes me so damn vulnerable that I'm scared. Please give me some time."

She was pretty much pleading with him.

"You love me?" His voice sounded astonished.

"Yes."

He was silent, so she walked out the door, into the Jeep, and headed to Phoenix.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

"This is the one. Or at least, I thought it was." Echo said to herself, as she stared at herself in a full-length mirror at an exclusive clothing boutique in Phoenix.

She'd gone everywhere looking for the right gown, and she was pretty sure she'd finally found it. The dress was pricy as expected, but she hadn't found what she wanted at the mall. And another female customer in one of the department stores there had suggested the expensive, exclusive store if she really wanted something special.

"What am I doing here in this dress?" Echo mumbled to herself in the dressing room of a boutique she couldn't afford.

She looked sexy.

Provocative.

Attractive.

And in her heart, she knew exactly what she was doing.

"I'm looking for the right dress so I feel appropriate standing next to Levi." She could easily admit that to herself.

Honestly, for the first time in her life, she actually wanted to get dressed up and feel like a desirable woman. The gown came down to her lower calf, and there was a classy slit up the side that flirted with revealing her lower thigh. In bright red, she was going to stand out, but she suddenly didn't mind that, either.

"It's so gorgeous." She muttered.

The gown made her feel beautiful. Either that, or she was seeing herself like Levi saw her. It didn't cling to her hips or butt but floated around them in a flattering way that made Echo love the garment even more. Was it worth the ridiculous price tag? Yes. Yes. Yes. Was it appropriate for a formal gathering? She wasn't quite sure.

Before she could think more about her actions, she dug in her purse for her new iPhone that she'd purchased at the mall and clicked on a phone number she'd never used.

"Hello?" She heard the female say happily.

"Mrs. Rosin." Echo said hesitantly. "I'm sorry to bother you—"

"Echo?" She said delightedly. "You'd never bother me, dear. Are you okay? Do you need help?"

She smiled slightly because Blaire Rosin sounded just like Erwin and Levi. "I actually do need something." Echo said in a rushed voice. "Levi asked me to come with him to your birthday ball, and I'm not sure about a dress…"

"Call me Blaire, Echo. And you can wear whatever you want. I'm just grateful that you and Levi are going to be here." There was a tremor in her voice. "It's been so long since I've seen him at an actual celebration."

"He's coming." Echo assured her.

"I know." Blaire answered, her voice full of emotion. "I want to thank you for that."

"He wantsto come." Echo said hurriedly. "He just needed a little encouragement."

"I'm not fooled by that, you know." Blaire said with a laugh. "You might have to drag him out of the house, but he wants to please you, so I know he'll be here."

"He wants to please you, too."

"I have a feeling not quite as much as he wants to make you happy." Blaire answered in a teasing voice. "And honestly, I'm thrilled that you two are together."

"We're actually not—"

"Levi certainly doesn't think that you're not." Blaire said, still amused. "We do still talk on the phone occasionally. He's in love with you, Echo. For as long as I've known him, never have I heard him talk this way about any woman."

Echo opened her mouth, and then clamped it shut again. She had no idea how to tell her that things weren't all that good for her and Levi at the moment.

"You're angry with him." Blaire stated. "I already know that, but it's very hard to stay angry with him. He might go on like a bull in a china stop, but his heart is usually in the right place." She then added in a gentle tone. "Now tell me how I can help you? We can talk more after we've taken care of whatever is bothering you."

"I'm in Phoenix." Echo blurted out. "I've been looking for a dress for the ball, but I don't usually wear dresses, and I don't go to formal stuff. I couldn't find anything at the mall, so I came to this boutique. And I like this dress, but I don't know if it's going to be okay."

"Show me." Blaire encouraged.

Echo fiddled with the phone and switched to FaceTime. She turned it so she could see her reflection. "This is it." She said nervously, waiting for her to look at it.

Blaire only paused for a minute before she said, "Oh, Echo, you look so beautiful. I'm not so sure that you and Levi won't be late because of it."

Echo let out a sigh of relief. "We'll be there early in case you need anything." She promised. "But it's so expensive. I'm not sure I can justify buying it."

"Let Levi pay so that you won't be dipping into your own money."

She chewed on her bottom lip. "I have his black Amex because he insisted, but it's _my dress_."

Blaire waved her hand to say that it was no big deal. "Let him pay for it. I know he wants to."

"I thought at the maximum, I'd spend a hundred bucks. And this is way over that budget."

"You think he's going to care?"

"No." Echo answered honestly. "I think if I went and charged a new car, he'd be ecstatic. But I don't spend money that way, Blaire. I never have."

"Honey, I know that. But treat yourself. Levi doesn't just hand his black Amex to anyone. He wants you to use it. It makes him feel useful."

"But he's worth so much more than his money." She told her. "He's brilliant, Blaire."

"I know." She answered knowingly. "I'm just glad someone else finally sees that, too. You're in love with him, too, aren't you?"

"Maybe too much." Echo confessed.

She smiled, and it made her whole face light up. Blaire Rosin was still a beautiful woman. Elegant with her short, blonde hair in a current style, and hardly a wrinkle on her smooth skin. "Exactly what Levi needs." Blaire said, beaming. "He needs a woman who challenges him."

"Someone to kick him in the ass when he gets bossy." Echo added, without thinking about it first.

"Exactly."

Blaire was thoughtful for a moment before she said, "Gold shoes, but not something too flashy. A strappy sandal that won't take away from the dress, and some gold dangle earrings and bracelets. The perfect accessories."

"Not silver or black?" Echo questioned.

"Definitely not. You want the dress to stand out. Silver or black have their place, but with that dress, I'd definitely go gold."

Echo's mind made up, she said, "Thank you."

"I'm always here if you need me, Echo."

"I'm so sorry for what my father did to you." Echo said softly, unable to hold back the words any longer.

"You are not your father." Blaire answered firmly. "Please don't even compare yourself to him or apologize for him. His mistakes aren't yours and I hate the way he treated you. He should've been so proud to have you as a daughter, but he just wasn't capable of that kind of love."

Echo nodded. "I think I know that now. I always wanted him to be proud of me, to come and tell me that he was sorry that he never helped me and Mom."

"He should have, but your father was a narcissist, Echo. He just didn't have the capacity to think about those things."

"I know." And honestly, she did understand that completely. Now that she could look at her father from a rational perspective instead of as a needy child, he'd never been able to love _anyone._ It wasn't just Echo, and it wasn't because she wasn't worthy. "Erwin once said that it would be better if I could pick my own family, and he was right. Family means more than just shared DNA."

"We'll be your family, Echo, if you'll let us. I'll never replace your mother, but I'm proud of you, and I know she would be, too. You're smart, beautiful inside and out, and so very kind."

"I'd like that." Echo admitted. She blinked back tears over the fact that somebody wanted her, even though she wasn't blood.

"Do you want me to help you pick out a purse and shoes?" Blaire asked.

"I think I can do it now." Echo assured her.

"Call me later and let me know how it goes? And not one iota of guilt over spending more money than you'd planned. Dress up, have fun, and dance the night away. You owe it to yourself to be happy, Echo. Your life hasn't exactly been easy, and Levi is an amazing dancer."

They talked a few more minutes before they finally hung up. Echo had assured her that she would call her later. Her phone beeped after she took off the dress, alerting her that she had a text. She clicked into it and saw that it was Levi. She'd texted him after she'd purchased a new phone to let him know she'd gotten it done.

**Levi: ****Is everything going okay? Blaire said you called her because you needed help.**

She smiled. Trust Levi to jump on the fact that she _needed_ something. He probably hadn't asked Blaire any questions, or even read more of her text.

**Echo: ****It was nothing. I just needed some help finding the right dress.**

**Levi: ****And did you find one?**

**Echo: ****Yes. And fair warning…it's going to make a small dent in your credit card. And I haven't even picked accessories yet.**

**Levi: ****A dent? You can beat it all to hell if you want. Clean the damn store out.**

Echo put her hand over her mouth to smother a laugh. It was such a Levi comment when it came to money that she could almost hear his voice saying it. Really, she didn't think he cared much about money. He was more interested in his research. Having billions of dollars was just something that he had to make life easier.

**Echo: ****Nah, I just need accessories. I thought about buying a new car, but I decided not to.**

**Levi: ****Just make sure it has a good safety rating. Nothing cheap.**

She snorted. It felt so damn good to joke around with him. Although she wasn't quite sure he was joking. And it was nice to talk to Levi instead of Nameless. Echo knew exactly who was on the other end of the phone.

**Echo: ****I won't do too much damage. I'm off to find shoes. Thank you, Levi.**

**Levi: ****For what?**

**Echo: ****For making it possible for me to find a dress that makes me feel beautiful. I'm actually looking forward to the ball.**

Really, it probably wasn't just the dres_s_ that had her anticipating that night. It was the fact that she'd be with the most handsome guy at the event, and because Blaire and Erwin were starting to feel like family. Echo knew she wasn't going to feel out of place this time, even though she had little in common with most of the people who would be there.

**Levi: ****Strangely, I'm looking forward to it, too. And you always look beautiful, no matter what you're wearing.**

Her heart swelled knowing that he really did want to go to the celebration. And she was starting to get used to the fact that he never saw her as anything less than attractive.

**Echo: ****I'll have the best-looking guy there.**

**Levi: ****Not sure about best-looking, but you'll have my balls in your hand. You always do.**

Echo wanted desperately to text that she loved him because she did. But she was still just a little bit shocked that she'd even told him that she was in love with him. In the moment, she'd wanted to let him know how serious the situation was for her. There had been enough lies between them. Finally, Echo was pretty much ready to move beyond Nameless, and she had to let him know where she stood.

**Echo: ****I think I'd much rather have your balls in my mouth than in my hand. I've always wanted to taste you, Levi.**

She'd never been bold, nor had never talked about sex because there was nothing to say for her. Echo had never felt like a sultry vixen, not even close. But there was something inside her now that wanted to tease this man who she knew wanted to fuck her.

There was no return text for a moment, so she held her breath.

**Levi: ****Shit woman! Are you trying to kill me? Now I'm hard as a rock with visions of my cock between those gorgeous lips.**

Echo smiled.

**Echo: ****I'm not sure if I'm ready yet. I can talk bold like this, but I'm still a little bit afraid.**

She wondered if he'd understand. Hell, she wasn't even sure she understood herself.

**Levi: ****I'll wait, Echo. Just don't stop talking.**

Tears filled her eyes as she looked at his response. He was making it clear that everything was on her terms right now, which Echo knew really was killing him. Levi wasn't the type of guy to sit back and wait, but he was willing to do it for her. She was no longer pissed off or angry at him. Sure, she'd hurt because he'd lied to her, but if Echo really looked at the situation closely, everything he'd done had happened because he'd wanted to help her and he had. His methods had been unorthodox, but he'd been convinced that no woman could accept him the way that he was.

Levi had been rejected because of his emotional scars and he'd blamed himself for his comrade's death. He'd been in a dark place, and that was easily understandable now that Echo knew all of the circumstances around him feeling like he had to be Nameless. She wanted him to rejoin his life and his friends, but that was something that he had to do in his own time.

**Echo: ****Later. After I find shoes. If we keep talking about this, I'll be getting myself off in this dressing room.**

**Levi: ****I'd give fucking anything to see that.**

**Echo: ****Maybe someday, I'll let you watch.**

Ha! She wasn't exactly an orgasmic type of female unless she was with him. But it was fun to…

**Levi: ****Tease! And I wouldn't be able to watch for long. I'd want my face between your legs the moment you even thought about touching yourself.**

**Echo: ****Shoes!**

Dear God, Echo had to stop thinking about Levi's dark head buried between her thighs. She could almost hear Levi's chuckle of satisfaction.

**Levi: ****You started it. I just agreed to play.**

Through her fog of lust, Echo heard a female voice outside the dressing room. "Is everything okay in there? Can I help you in any way?" It was the sales lady for the boutique.

She'd completely lost track of how long she'd been in the dressing room. "Everything is fine. Be right out." Echo told her, her voice just a little too high and light.

Unless she can bring Levi into this dressing room right now, there wasn't a thing she could do.

She quickly typed Levi a reply.

**Echo:****Gotta go. I think the clerks are getting restless.**

**Levi: ****Echo? Wait!**

**Echo: ****Yes?**

**Levi: ****I should've told you a long time ago. I should've said it first. But I love you, too. Probably always have, even while I was just your nameless man. But now you're completely necessary to me, the most important person in my life. Stay safe.**

Echo traced his words with her finger. Maybe she hadn't known how desperately she'd wanted to know that he loved her, too. But he'd expressed her own emotions when he'd said she was necessary to him. Echo felt the same way. Somehow, Levi had become her everything. Maybe that was why she was still scared.

She put her phone into her purse, put her clothes back on, and gathered up the dress she was buying. Echo left the dressing room with a huge smile on her face, and an incredibly light heart.

* * *

Levi dropped his cell phone down on the kitchen counter, disgusted with himself. What in the hell was he thinking? Echo had deserved to hear that "I love you" in person, not in a damn text. He'd been too stunned to run after her right away when she'd dropped that bomb on him before she'd left her house for Phoenix, and once he could move, she'd already been gone. He'd needed to tell her, too. He'd needed her to know. So, like an idiot, Levi had put his emotions in a fucking text.

He reached into the fridge and pulled out a beer. He wasn't much of a drinker, but at the moment, he could probably put down the entire twelve pack, and then get another one. One twist popped the cap off, and he chugged half the bottle. He grabbed his phone and walked to the living room. Once there, Levi dropped into a recliner.

If there was one thing he'd learned from his comrade's death, it was that tomorrow, or even the next moment, was never a sure thing. That's why he'd jumped the gun and told her how he felt via text. Levi hadn't wanted to wait another moment, because if the moment never came, he'd wanted Echo to know that he loved her. He'd tell her later, in person, until she was sick of hearing it, but he'd needed her to know as soon as possible.

Not that Levi was likely to die before he got to see her again, and fuck knew he wouldn't even think about anything happening to her, but he regretted not telling Isabel and Furlan that he cared about them before he went off ahead of the unit. He never really even said goodbye, and didn't even pay his respects to the rest of his squad. He was just too ashamed to show his face at the funeral.

Though now, Levi was starting to come to terms with the idea that their deaths had been an unfortunate accident. It wasn't his fault that the surprise attack was going to come. It surely wasn't his fault that Isabel had died from her wounds. Blaire had told him that. Erwin had reiterated it, and finally, he was starting to believe it, too.

Levi was honoring Isabel by finding a way to save more lives with robotic surgery someday. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to save her_._ But being mired in guilt and grief wasn't something his friends wouldn't have wanted for him. They'd want him to be happy, to live his life to the fullest.

Levi had been using work as an excuse to immerse himself from the outside world. Now it was past time for him to break free and take some time away from working so much. He'll get back to letting Blaire and Erwin back in and make it up to them. Like he should've done a long time ago. And he'll do whatever it takes to make Echo his.

He knew he'd always miss Isabel and Furlan, but if they were here now, they'd probably give him a lecture he would never forget for spending years as a recluse. If Echo, Blaire and Erwin didn't care about his emotional scars, he didn't give a shit, either. They were the only ones who mattered.

The ping of his cell phone pulled him out of his own thoughts, and he touched his phone to see what text had been sent. It wasn't work related. It was Echo.

She was on her way back. It would be over an hour before she got back to Tucson. He looked at the time.

**Levi: ****Will you let me take you out for dinner when you get back? I can make late reservations. I won't push for anything more. I just want to spend some time with you.**

**Echo: ****You mean go out?**

He smirked. **Levi****: ****That's generally the idea when a guy wants to take a woman out.**

**Echo: ****Where?**

**Levi: Fleming's Prime Steakhouse**

**Echo: ****I've never been there. Too pricey. I don't usually eat anywhere that has real linen tablecloths.**

Levi chuckled because he knew it was a joke, but her comment also reminded him of how difficult her life had been.

**Levi: ****I think I have enough money saved to be able to swing it.**

In his mind, he could hear her cute little snort of laughter.

**Echo: ****Then I accept.**

He let out a deep breath that he'd been holding. Dinner wasn't everything, but it was a start. Somehow, he really wanted to show her that I wasn't always a prick. Okay, maybe he could be a dick more often than not, but he didn't ever want to be that way with her ever again. No more lies, no more Nameless, and no more fuck-ups.

Granted, he was always going to argue with her about keeping her safe and happy. But Levi also had the means and the desire to spoil her rotten, and he'd enjoy every minute of it. Everything had been too damn hard for her.

**Levi: ****Great. I'll make the reservations. And be careful coming back. Some of the drivers can get too crazy around this time.**

**Echo: ****I will. BTW…I've been thinking about that whole bending me over the table thing. It might be kind of hot.**

He let out a low, feral growl. Now he was seeing the same image, and it would be haunting him for the rest of the night. His hands gripping her lovely hips, her beautiful ass in the air, and him buried deep inside her until they were so fused together in carnal bliss that nothing else mattered except reaching a powerful orgasm together.

His…Echo was his. Always had been, always would be. But when in the hell had she decided to be his dirty girl? Not that he was complaining. Levi was more than willing to perform any filthy fantasies she had.

**Echo: ****Levi? Sorry, but you did tell me to keep talking to you.**

**Levi: ****I'm sorry, too. I was in the middle of a very good fantasy.**

She'd hesitated because he hadn't answered. Fuck!The last thing he wanted was for her to stop telling him what would please her. He had plans of living out every single sexually deviant thing she wanted to do the moment she'd let him. Levi just wasn't sure he'd live through hearing about all of them.

**Echo: ****Really good?**

**Levi: ****Great enough to make my dick so hard it's painful. I'm definitely getting myself off before we go to dinner. You're becoming a very dirty girl.**

**Echo: ****I've always wanted to be, but you know how much experience I've had. I'm no femme fatal. I'm not sure I know how to please you as much as you please me.**

Levi hated the fact that she doubted just how sexy she was, or her ability to make him crazy. He had taken her virginity, but she was a damn fast learner.

**Levi: ****Sweetheart, all you have to do is breathe and I'm turned on.**

**Echo: ****I think I kind of like the thought of being your dirty girl.**

"Not as much as I do." He grunted to himself.

**Levi: ****Feel free to share any of your filthy thoughts. Better yet, feel free to experiment with me.**

He wanted to hear about her fantasies, even though it was fucking torture. He was pretty sure he was probably a masochist.

**Echo: ****I just might.**

**Levi: ****Don't ever think that you can't please me, Echo. You already do. Maybe a little bit too much.**

**Echo: ****Never too much! I better get on the road before I miss dinner.**

Knowing her, she was probably blushing from head to toe.

**Levi: ****If I had my way, I'd lay you out on the linen tablecloth afterward and bury my face between your legs for dessert.**

**Echo: ****OMG! I have to go.**

He grinned. **Levi****: ****I'm jumping in the shower.**

**Echo: ****To get yourself off?**

**Levi: ****No doubt.**

**Echo: ****I'd like to see that.**

**Levi: ****You're welcome anytime.**

**Echo: ****Bye!**

Levi couldn't help it. He laughed aloud as he looked at her quick escape. His fiery ember could only take so much before she was turned on and embarrassed at the same time.

"God, I love you, Echo." He said aloud, in a husky voice as he stood up.

Regardless of their sexual banter, he wasn't going to touch her until she invited him to do it. Levi wanted a hell of a lot more than sex from her. He needed her trust first, but there was nothing wrong with some really good written foreplay. He made the reservation for dinner and sprinted up the stairs to clean up.

* * *

BlueMoon Goddess: Well that's the end of this chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it and didn't think that Levi was a bit OOC in this chapter. Also, I wanted to let you guys know that we are sadly coming to an end in this story. I have two more chapters and then it's the end. So look out for the next chapter, and until next time! ^_^


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

Echo was nervous as she found herself staring in the mirror of the guesthouse…again. What was it about her and mirrors these days? She'd probably looked into the mirror more times in one day than she had for years.

She ended up putting on a sundress to go to dinner with Levi. It was pretty much all she had other than jeans. Plus, the restaurant they were going to actually had real tablecloths and she wanted to look decent. She sighed as she stared at her reflection. She'd put on a little bit of makeup, and the sundress was comfortable. She'd come up with a pair of sandals to match.

"It'll have to do." Echo uttered as she reached into the closet for a lightweight jacket in case she needed it later.

The doorbell rang, and it startled her out of her own thoughts.

Levi.

Her heart skittered. She wasn't quite sure how to face him after some of the sexual banter they'd shared via text.

When she opened the door, her breath left her in a giant _whoosh. _God, why did he have to look so damn good? He was dressed nicely in a pair of chinos and a nice collared shirt. Business casual looked pretty damn good on him. Not to mention the fact that he was leaning against the wall near the door with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Ready?" He asked, in a husky tone. "You look beautiful, Echo."

There was awkwardness, but the air was sparking with sexual tension and not the I-don't-know-what-to-say kind of stress. Levi's face still had the regular scruff, and his hair was adorably mussed in a look that almost looked intentional, but she knew it wasn't. Unlike Erwin, Levi never seemed to worry too much about his external appearance. But then, he didn't have to, he radiated masculine appeal naturally.

"Y-You look good, too." She stammered.

He stepped in, and his smile turned to a scowl. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said, her voice higher than usual, and she could feel a blush burn over her skin. Echo dove for her purse on the breakfast bar so she could hide her pink face.

Levi moved right behind her, and rested his hands on the counter, trapping her in. "Tell me." He growled. "I know you, Echo. Something isn't right."

She turned, forgetting about her flushed face as she was pulled to his mysterious pheromones that drew her to him like a mate.

"You're embarrassed." He guessed. "What happened to my dirty girl tease?"

Echo looked up at him, which was a huge mistake. His intense eyes locked with hers, and she couldn't look away. "You know I'm not like that." She said in a rush. "Levi, I've never even had a steady boyfriend."

"Then feel free to experiment with me." He answered in a low, sincere baritone that made her shiver in reaction. "I'm not going to push you, Echo. I'm not demanding anything. If you want something, you'll have to come to me_. _I've screwed this up enough. Let me know when you can trust that I'm not going to hurt you again. Let me know when you want me to kiss you. Let me know when you want me to fuck you."

Liquid heat flooded between her thighs. His lean body surrounded her, consumed her, and his scent made her want to purr like a cat, and rub her body against his.

"Okay, deal." Echo answered nervously.

Levi moved, giving Echo her freedom again, which was actually disappointing. She already trusted him. She was over her doubts about his motives of playing Nameless. He cared. He hadn't known how to help. So, he'd used whatever methods he could and then, he'd been certain that she couldn't accept who he was, his scars, and his darkness. He'd thought he needed to stay anonymous because he didn't want her to be unhappy. Yes, some of his actions had been selfless, and some had been selfish, but one thing Echo knew with one-hundred percent certainty was that he had never meant to hurt her.

Their conversation was comfortable and light on the way to the restaurant. He was letting her take control, which wasn't an easy thing for a guy like Levi and his actions tugged at her heart more than she wanted to admit.

When they walked into the restaurant, Levi gave the host his name and led them to the table with a protective hand on the small of Echo's back.

She shook her head as she looked at the menu. "I don't know what to order."

She and Levi both settled on a filet and crab, and he ordered so many appetizers that the smaller, linen covered table was crowded when they brought them, and their cocktails. She'd ordered a nice white wine, while Levi got a good Scotch with no ice. When they were finally alone, Echo dug into her purse, and handed him back his black credit card.

"Slightly used." She teased, as she dropped the card by his drink.

He didn't pick the card up. "Did you get everything you wanted?"

She nodded. "Absolutely."

"I missed you, today. Do you want to do the farmer's market tomorrow?"

She raised a brow. "You're actually going to take another Sunday off?"

He leaned back in his chair and took a drink from his tumbler. "More than one day, I think. I'm considering hitting the desert museum on Monday. Care to go with me?"

Her heart swelled. "Two days off?" She knew he was offering to go to the museum because she'd always wanted to go.

"Right now, I don't mind leaving some of my work to the team. Spending time with you is more important."

"I want to be with you, too." She confessed. "But you're not interested in the desert, right?"

"I'm interested in you." He answered, in a graveled tone. "And I assure you, I find anything you do very interesting."

Echo squirmed in her chair under his eagle-eyed gaze. "I don't know. I have a very demanding boss."

"He's perfectly willing to give you all the time off you need." He said offhandedly.

She smiled at him. She couldn't help it. "Then I'll go. It might be fun to play hooky."

He shrugged. "I think we both deserve it. There's more to life than just work."

Echo was shocked for a moment before she answered, "I know. But I'm pretty new in this dream job."

_When had his research taken a back seat to anything else?_

Honestly, he needed time away. Desperately. But she was surprised that he'd become so casual about taking a few days off. Not that it wasn't a pleasant surprise, but it was unusual for him.

"The job will still be there when we get back to work. Furlan and Isabel would've hated the idea that I've always put work first. Mostly Isabel. She probably would've bugged me so much to take a break and hang out with them."

"What were they like?" Echo asked curiously, jumping on the opportunity for Levi to talk about his friends.

She didn't need to hear about the accident. She wanted to hear about the good times Levi had with them, and the relationship they'd had when he was younger.

Levi reminisced about all of the camping trips, hiking, and exploring Furlan, he and Isabel had done during his younger years as they devoured the appetizers and their drinks. For the first time, Levi's face wasn't shadowed when he mentioned them.

Echo played with the stem of her wine glass. "Those were good times, right?"

"Very good. I miss them." Levi said, in a low voice that was hardly audible.

"I understand. I really miss my mom, too. It still hurts sometimes, but I'm grateful for all the good memories I had with her."

"Tell me." He requested.

Echo took a sip of her wine before she answered. "She worked a lot, and we didn't really travel because we couldn't afford it. But she made everything we did together fun. Like going to the park, cooking or baking, and even watching movies together. Mom was always a the-glass-is-half-full type of person, instead of lamenting over what we didn't have. Even though her life was cut short, she lived every moment of what she had."

Levi reached out and took her hand in his. "I'm so sorry, Echo. I know she was all you had. But you know you take after her?"

"But I did have her for a while. Fear made me forget that the glass can always be half full because I was alone, but I think I'm more like her, now. I can mostly remember the good things and be grateful that she was my mom because my father totally sucked. But now I have Blaire, and even Erwin. He's like the big brother I wished I had."

He squeezed her hand and let go. "You're ready to take on another family? You have me, too."

Echo nodded. "I'm ready. But if you don't mind, I can't quite see you as a brother."

His expression was pained. "Please don't." He hesitated for a moment before he asked, "How do you see me then?"

The conversation was getting a little heavy for their surroundings, so she shot him an impish wink. "Like the stud I'd like to bend over this table for."

He shot her a warning glance. "Don't tempt me. I just might."

Echo shivered at his intense tone, but he winked at her just as the waitress arrived with their entrees. In a way, Levi reminded her of a caged beast. And she knew it wouldn't be long before she couldn't stand it any longer and opened the door to end his confinement. Strangely, Echo knew once that cage was opened, she'd be setting herself free, too.

* * *

Echo seemed way too quiet once Levi dropped her off at the guesthouse. He hadn't pushed, hadn't demanded, and dammit, he was true to his word. He hadn't even kissed her and she hadn't asked him to.

As she grabbed a soda out of the fridge and sat down on the couch in her pajamas, she knew she should be in bed. She and Levi were heading out early for the farmer's market, but Echo hadn't been able to sleep. Not once had he said that he loved her again, nor had she said it herself. It had been such a wonderful night that she hadn't wanted anything to get awkward. Now, she wished she had at least asked for a kiss_._

Being with Levi and not touching him was pure torture. He was waiting for her. He was putting the ball in her court. Unfortunately, once she saw him in person, it wasn't as easy to be a seductress as it was via text. Echo wasn't sure exactly what was holding her back. Was it fear? Yea…that was it. Echo loved him so much that her heart and body ached for him, but some unsubstantiated fear, some nagging voice warned her that letting herself go completely might lead to her doom. She wasn't going to survive if something bad happened to their relationship.

But she wasn't moving forward right then, either. She had no reason to hesitate and she really had no reason to be afraid. Echo loved Levi with all her heart, and she believed him when he said he never wanted to see her hurt again. Unfortunately, fear was a funny thing, and it could still be there even if she wasn't in any kind of danger. Did she want to keep hanging on to something she didn't need, or be with Levi?

Right then, Echo heard her phone ping on the coffee table. She reached out and picked it up to read a new text.

**Levi: Why are your lights still on? Farmer's market tomorrow.**

She smiled. **Echo: ****Couldn't sleep. But I'm on my way to bed.**

**Levi: ****I'm in bed. Sleep. There's nothing that you're worried about that can't wait until tomorrow. If you need me, my door is always open.**

Echo wasn't sure he was right about things waiting until tomorrow. She got up, her bare feet padding to the kitchen window. All his lights were off except the outside lights. Obviously, he was in his bedroom. He had to be texting her from his bed. His door was always open?

**Echo: ****Open, literally?**

She couldn't imagine a person as rich and important as him not locking the door and setting the alarms.

**Levi: ****Yes, literally.**

**Echo: ****You're crazy, Levi, anyone could walk through that door at night.**

**Levi: ****The next house is a few miles down the road. Besides, I want there to always be a way for you to get to me, Echo.**

God, if he thought nothing could happen, even in semi-safe locations, he was nuts. Levi was a prime target for any kind of criminal or madman. He was one of the wealthiest guys in the world.

**Echo: ****Goodnight, Levi.**

She switched off the kitchen light.

**Levi: ****Sweet dreams, my fiery ember. See you early tomorrow.**

She put her phone down on the counter and stood alone in the dark, her heart, body and soul aching for him. As Echo stood there, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She was done guarding her emotions. If she wanted Levi, she was going to have to take a leap of faith.

Echo picked up her key, stepped outside, and locked the door behind her. In nothing but a pair of thin, cotton shorts with a matching T-shirt, the pajamas she'd donned earlier, she made her way carefully to his door. Maybe she couldn't exactly sneak through his bedroom window because it's on the second floor, but she could crawl into his bed in the dark.

Echo pushed on the latch of the front door, and it opened easily. He wasn't kidding. He did leave the door open. She closed it behind her and threw the thick deadbolt into place. Some of the light from the outdoors weakly illuminated the downstairs. She knew the house well, but she'd rarely gone upstairs.

'Don't chicken out. Don't chicken out.' She silently pumped herself.

Echo smiled as she cautiously went up the stairs. No chance that she was going to run out the door now. Levi was so close that she could already feel his hot skin sliding against hers. She was quiet as she slipped into his bedroom. His shutters were open, so there was plenty of dim light from the outside illuminating the room, and she could see that the bed was definitely occupied by one very large male body. Since Echo didn't hear a sound, she assumed he was sleeping. She slipped out of her sleeping shorts and T-shirt, letting them drop to the floor before she approached the bed.

Echo got in on the unoccupied side and shimmied closer to him so she could rip the covers off his body, and then covered his mouth and straddled him. And sweet Jesus, he was completely nude. There was nothing between her womanly folds and his very large, erection. It wasn't exactly reverse roles of the time he'd come through her window as Nameless, but she could improvise.

"It's me." She whispered loudly. "I can't exactly tie you up, but I want you to lay there quietly, okay? Don't touch me."

She couldn't see his eyes, but she could make out his face in the moonlight. He nodded slowly, and she removed her hand from his lips.

Echo slipped to his side, her hands roaming all of his hot, soft skin. "I've always wanted to touch you, Levi. Really touch you. You're such a beautiful man."

She reveled in the feeling of his smooth, bare chest beneath her fingers. He was all muscle, and fiery skin. His abs were defined from working out and lifting in his home gym, and she savored every inch, tracing the six pack leisurely before her hand moved lower.

"I'm either having the best wet dream I've ever had, or a fantasy come to life." He said, in a hoarse tone filled with reverence.

"I'm real." She assured him, as her fingers brushed his member.

"I actually know that." He confessed. "I've known it since you came through the door and stripped."

Echo touched his erection, marveling over how the silken tip felt under her fingers. "Why didn't you say anything?" She asked quietly.

"I wanted to see what you were going to do." He answered. "Is this payback for crawling through your window as Nameless?"

She chuckled as she curled her fingers around his member. "Not really. Well, maybe a little. You did say I could experiment on you. But mostly I just want to pleasure you, just like you pleasured me back then."

A small hiss escaped from his mouth as she pumped her hand up and down his shaft. "I can't believe this fits." She mused.

"It fucking fits perfectly." He ground out. "You were made for me, Echo."

"Probably so." She agreed. "Your whole body feels so good. So perfect. We've been together three times, but I still know so little about a naked male body. _Your _naked body."

"How long are you planning on tormenting me?" Levi asked, in a desperate voice. "Not that I'm not enjoying this experimenting, but you're killing me here."

"It doesn't feel good when I touch you?" She asked earnestly.

"Too damn good. If you're not careful, I'm going to come in just a couple more strokes of your hand."

Echo loved the whole idea of making him orgasm, but she stilled her hand. "I want to taste you."

"Jesus! I'm fucked!" He growled.

She smiled as she bent her head. There was power in knowing that Echo had the ability to make him crazy. She kept her hand around the root of his shaft, and took him into her mouth, moaning at the masculine taste that filled her mouth. Echo could feel Levi's body tense. She had her shoulder against his abdomen, her free hand resting along his thigh, and his muscles were straining.

"Mmmm…" She enjoyed him like a lollipop, exploring his taste, his shape, before she flattened her tongue beneath him to take in more.

He was big, so she let her fingers get wet so they could slide along with her mouth. Levi's tormented groan spurred her on as she kept up the sultry motion. She wanted him to come, and she wanted to taste it.

"Shit…fuck!" He growled, in a low feral voice.

His body tensed up hard, and as fast as she could blink, Echo found herself flat on her back with Levi looming over her, her wrists restrained over her head.

"What happened?" She asked mournfully, sad that his cock wasn't between her lips anymore.

"I just saved you from having more in that beautiful mouth of yours than you bargained for." He rasped.

"But I really wanted you to come. I wanted to taste—"

"Don't." He demanded. "I get how you felt in your bedroom that night. I want to touch you so damn bad I can taste it."

She nodded. "That's how I felt."

He was holding back, simply keeping her in place. His body shuttered, and Echo could feel how badly he wanted her. Just as much as she needed him.

"Ask me to kiss you, Echo." He demanded.

In her foggy haze of lust, she'd forgotten that she needed to give him her permission, that he was letting her take the lead for now.

"Kiss me, Levi. Please."

He froze for an instant as he cursed. "Thank fuck!"

His head swooped down, and he finally captured her lips. She moaned and opened for him, knowing there was no going back from what she'd started. The beast had left his cage. Echo was totally lost from the moment his tongue swept into her mouth like he owned it. She moaned against his lips and tugged at her hands. When he let her wrists go, Echo speared her hands into his hair and held on for dear life. They melted into each other like one big mess of molten heat.

Levi's embrace was carnal, insistent, and she willingly gave up control to him because she instinctively knew that was exactly what he needed. Just like he'd given up control to her for a time. He consumed her, and Echo had never been happier to be devoured.

She panted as he left her mouth to taste the sensitive skin of her neck. "Fuck me. Please."

"This is it for us, Echo. You have to know there's no going back anymore." He snarled against her neck. "After this, you'll always be mine. I can't have it any other way. Your chance to escape is gone. You came to me. That sealed your fate."

If he thought that was a threat, he thought wrong_. _He needed her as much as she needed him, and that set her body on fire.

Echo let out a whimper as his hot mouth trailed down her chest to her breasts. "Don't want to escape. We're both free." She meant those words. Because of Levi, her life had completely changed.

"I love you, Echo." He said like a vow.

"Yes." She hissed, as his mouth closed over the sensitive, stiff peak of one breast, his fingers playing with the other.

Echo's hands fisted his hair as he played, pinched, and licked, the perfect combination to make her mutter incoherently with pleasure and frustration. "I need you, Levi."

His jaw brushed across her nipples as he lifted his head. "You asked for it." He said in a low, foreboding tone.

"Yes." She said, with a needy whimper.

Echo wanted to be his dirty girl. Hell, she'd be anything he wanted if he'd just make her come. Her entire body jolted as she felt his hand between their bodies, and he stroked his fingers boldly through the wet heat he found between her thighs.

"You're so damn wet. You want me, Echo?"

His mouth clamped back down on her tormented nipple, and he bit lightly as he found her nub with his thumb. She tried to buck her hips up, but she didn't get very far with his muscular body on top of her lower body.

"Levi, I need—"

"I know what you need." He rasped. "I'm going to make sure you get it."

Echo let out an almost inhuman sound when he put the pressure she needed on the little bundle of nerves, the hard stroke over her pearl driving her insane. His mouth nipping at her breast. His thumb stroking over my swollen nub. And when his fingers slipped inside her, she almost hit the roof.

"Levi." She moaned loudly.

"I want my cock here, Echo. I want to sink into your fucking heat until I drown."

"Yes!" She cried in agreement, as her body started to tremble.

"Come for me, first." He commanded.

Echo had already been almostthere, and his words sent her over the edge. She lifted her hips as much as she could manage, trapping his hand between their bodies, grinding against it as her climax rolled over her.

"Oh, God, Levi!" She screamed, as she tugged on his hair in the throes of her orgasm. She was breathing heavily as she came back down, but she pushed at his powerful body, and he moved back.

"You okay?" He asked hoarsely, as Echo pulled away.

She clambered onto her hands and knees. "I'm fine. But I'm going to die if you don't fuck me right now. This way. Deep, Levi. You said you could go deep."

Since every single touch felt intense and animalistic, she wanted him to take her from behind. She craved it.

"Are you sure?" Levi asked gutturally, his hand moving between her thighs to stroke over her still-quivering folds.

"Yes!"

He gripped her hips hard enough to leave bruises the next morning, but Echo didn't give a damn. She needed his fierceness. She needed that passion. But more importantly, she needed him.

"Levi! Now!"

_Smack!_

Echo's body jolted as one of his hands met her ass. It wasn't playful, but it wasn't hard, either. It was just enough to heighten her arousal to the point of agony.

Levi's hand stroked over the globe in a soothing motion as he said harshly, "You're getting to be a dirty girl."

"Do you mind?" She panted.

"Hell no, I fucking love it. Be as dirty as you want with me. Be whatever the hell you want to be. Do whatever turns you on."

Echo couldn't say another word as he surged forward, and his erection was buried so deep inside her that she gasped in surprise.

"Levi." She moaned, as she pushed back against him, knowing he was buried to his balls.

"Jesus, Echo. You feel so damn good." He groaned.

When he pulled out, she almost protested, until he slammed back in, his grip on her hips firm and demanding.

"Harder, Levi." She encouraged.

Echo wanted all of his intensity. She craved it. Her body caught his hard, hot rhythm, and she pushed back every time he surged forward. Harder and harder…faster and faster. Their skin slapping together with every fast stroke of his member. It was raw and unbridled, their need for each other so damn hot that she felt like they were going to spontaneously combust. Her climax was building, and it was different this time. Every rough thrust had driven her higher, and she was teetering on the edge.

"Need you to come, Echo." Levi's voice was coarse and sharp.

She could tell he was on the edge of his orgasm, and barely hanging on. The moment he reached around her body, and smoothed through her folds, a finger caressing over her precious pearl, Echo completely imploded.

Her head dropped down as her entire body shuddered. "Levi. Oh-my-God-I'm-not-going-to-live-through-this!"

The pulsations that traveled through her body and into her core caused the slick walls to clamp down over his erection.

"Fuck! Echo!" He yelled, in a throaty groan that seemed to vibrate through her soul.

Echo's body milked him of his own hot release as he thrust deep to let it go. She collapsed, her legs and arms refusing to keep holding her up. Levi came down beside her and buried his hand in her hair. He turned her face to kiss her, and Echo savored that sultry embrace. His arm around her naked, shivering body, he dropped his head to her shoulder, his face in her hair. Echo could feel his warm breath wafting over her ear as he caught his breath.

Finally, he muttered, "I'm not sure I can handle you as my dirty girl."

She snorted softly. "I think you _handled_ me just fine."

"I love you so damn much, Echo. I meant what I said. We can't go back."

Echo rolled on her side once her heart had started to slow down and snuggled up against him. "I wouldn't have crawled into your bed if I'd wanted to go back. We're ready to go forward, Levi. I think we both are now. I love you, too and I never want to see you hurt again, either. My heart aches when I know that you're sad. I hurt when you hurt. I think that's part of loving you the way that I do."

Maybe she'd never quite recognized it, but she'd always felt his pain in some way. Maybe that was why she'd been so determined to breach those walls of his and get inside him, why she'd wanted so much for him to heal.

"I feel the same way." Levi answered in a guttural tone. "Always have, since the moment I saw you. I wanted to be there for you, but I couldn't."

Their connection was pretty profound, but Echo wouldn't change it, even if she could.

She ran a gentle hand through his hair. "You were there, Levi. Even if I knew you as Nameless, it was still _you_. I think I love both of you."

"Jesus." He answered gruffly. "I think I just got jealous of myself."

She laughed. "I love you, Levi."

"I love you, too, fiery ember." His arms tightened around her. "I need you, Echo. Don't ever leave me."

Her heart tripped. Echo couldn't say she'd ever seen Levi truly vulnerable, and she was pretty certain that nobody ever really had. It was humbling and heartbreaking at the same time. But she understood that vulnerability because when it came to him, she had the same weakness herself. They had the power to make each other ecstatically happy, or the capability to leave each other shattered and broken. Echo was determined to make sure we took the first option.

"I'm never going anywhere, Levi. I promise." She told him softly.

"I'll never give you a reason to want to leave." He said roughly.

She smiled against his shoulder. Echo knew his assailable side wouldn't last long, but she didn't care. She'd always know it was there, and she'd guard his vulnerability, and protect it with everything she had in the future.

He'd been in emotional pain for so damn long.

"I plan on making you happy, too." She informed him, with a little sigh.

"You just did. Hell, I'm damn near euphoric."

Her heart swelled at the mischievous tone of his voice. "I love you, Levi. I always will." She said earnestly.

"Now I'm downright elated."

He repositioned both of them and pulled the covers over their bodies before he wrapped his arms around her again. His embrace was tight, like he was afraid she was going to get away. And Echo was perfectly okay with that.

* * *

BlueMoon Goddess: And they successfully worked it out. And better yet, they said they loved each other! Next chapter is the last chapter so get ready for that, until next time guys! ^_^


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, its characters, or the plot 'Dearest Stalker' by J S Scott. I do though own the OC's featured in this fic.

Summary: He has been her constant for the past few years. Whenever she needed someone, he was there. Her "nameless hero," as she called him. She should be scared of him. Anybody else would if they noticed they were being stalked by an unknown person. Yet, she's intrigued, and that's what making her want to find out more about him. Even if it is dangerous.

* * *

Echo took a sip of champagne as she waited for Levi to come back from filling up some plates of food for them. It was a crush, so he'd offered to strong arm his way to the fancy buffet.

Blaire's birthday ball was everything Echo had hoped it would be. Levi had been floored when he'd seen her in the red dress she'd chosen and had done nothing but talk dirty to her during the drive to her stepmother's house.

Initially, he'd barely said anything when he'd come to the door to pick her up. Then, he'd used the words beautiful, sexy, and gorgeous more times than Echo could count. She'd gone out with Blaire earlier in the day to get her hair put up elegantly, and to have someone do her makeup.

She did feel beautiful, and she reveled in every lascivious look that Levi shot her. As promised, neither one of them had worked that week, nor had Levi taken her to the desert museum, and every other fun destination he could find. Their days had been filled with excitement and love, and their nights exploded with passion.

"Echo! You look beautiful!" Rachel squealed, as she saw Echo across the crowded ballroom and came to her side.

They both had a glass of champagne, so they did a happy one-armed hug. "You, too." She told her excitedly. "I love that dress!"

Honestly, she looked exquisite, her blonde hair was in an elegant style that suited her, and a gorgeous sequined, body-hugging black cocktail dress. It was the sort of style that someone with Rachel's body could pull off elegantly.

"It's just one that I designed and made myself." Rachel said, as she wrinkled her nose adorably.

"It looks like it was custom made." Echo assured her.

One of Rachel's talents was making a dress or outfit out of nothing. She was an incredible designer. Always had been. She'd even made her own costumes for her ballet performances, and they'd always been spectacular.

"It kind of is custom since I made it for myself." She said drily. "Thanks for inviting me."

Levi had been insistent that she should ask her friend to come once Echo broached the topic carefully. Her friends were his friends, too, he'd told her. And he'd wanted to meet Rachel.

"What do you think of the ball?" Echo asked.

"The food looks incredible." Rachel answered. "And this house is unbelievable."

Standing in the same place that Echo had started in during her father's funeral reception made her feel like she'd come full circle. How could Echo ever have known that a ballroom where she'd once been miserable would one day see her happier than she'd ever been in her life? It was the same space, same place, but so much different. Echo didn't feel like she didn't belong anymore because Blaire, Erwin and Levi made sure she _knew_ that she belonged here.

"I'm so glad you're here. I want you to meet Levi, Erwin, and Blaire. I think you'll love them."

Rachel shot her an assessing look. "I know you love one of them very much."

"It's crazy, right? Falling in love with my nameless hero?"

Rachel and Erwin were the only ones who knew everything about her history with Levi.

She shook her head, "Not so crazy at all under the circumstances. You seem incredibly happy. You've sounded that way all week."

"I love him." Echo said simply.

"No one deserves that more than you, Ech." Rachel answered sincerely.

She lifted a bare arm to tuck a lock of blonde hair back into place.

Echo frowned as she looked at Rachel's wrist. "What's this?"

She took her hand and turned it over. There was a big bruise right above her wrist.

Rachel jerked her arm away and put it back to her side. "Nothing. I whacked it while I was sewing. I've always bruised pretty easily."

Echo gave her a dubious look. "Are you sure?"

Echo wasn't certain why she suspected she wasn't telling her the whole truth. Maybe it had been the way Rachel had immediately gone on the defensive. That wasn't like her.

She leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek. "I'm positive. Now I'm going to mingle a little. Let me know when your handsome man is available for an introduction."

"I'll find you." Echo called after her slender figure, as she weaved her way through the crowd.

She sipped the rest of her champagne as she watched Rachel move in and out of all the people here with ease. These kinds of gatherings were really nothing new for Rachel. She'd circulated in the New York ballet circuit, so she'd rubbed elbows with a lot of the rich and famous. And she looked perfectly unfazed by talking with all of the personalities around the room.

Levi came back with two loaded plates, and they found a small, unoccupied table off the ballroom floor. There were plenty of places to consume food, and an empty dance floor that had been cleared for the start of the orchestra that was currently warming up.

"Sorry it took so long." Levi apologized, as he sat next to her. "It was pretty crowded."

Echo sighed, still not used to seeing the man she loved in formal wear. He wore a tuxedo well, like it was any other item of clothing. He didn't look the least bit uncomfortable, and he probably wasn't. God, the man was breathtaking.

"I was fine." She assured him, as she started to consume some of the delicious looking stuff on her plate.

"I don't like leaving you anywhere alone, especially in _that_ dress." He answered gutturally.

Echo sent him a huge smile. For her, it was amusing the way that he always thought some guy was going to swoop in and take her away from him. He was the first man who had ever looked at her like he couldn't live without her, and hopefully the only one who ever would. All Echo wanted was Levi, and she knew she had him, just as surely as he had her. Wild horses couldn't drag her away.

"Nobody is ever going to compare to you, Levi. Ever." Echo knew there were still occasions where he needed that assurance. "I love you. You're stuck with me."

He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. But he shattered the sweet moment when he rumbled, "Thank fuck."

She snorted because that was just so…Levi. And there wasn't a thing about the sexy man that she would change.

"Rachel is here." She told him. "I want you to meet her."

"I'm looking forward to it." He answered.

"I'm worried about her." She admitted. "There's nothing I can put a finger on, but I don't think everything is right in her world. She's still working for the boss from hell, and I don't think he treats her well. She's working all kinds of crazy hours, and she looks tired."

He frowned. "Can't she go somewhere else?"

"It's not easy for an out-of-work prima ballerina to find a position. She has good office skills, so she's fallen back on that for now. But she's so talented, Levi. She designed all of her own costumes, and the dress she's wearing is an original she made herself. It's stunning. I wish she could find a job in fashion designing. She'd be so much happier."

Levi grinned. "She could just start her own line." He suggested. "You're pretty well-connected now, Echo. I'm sure you could get someone you know to invest."

She looked at him for a moment before she said, "You? You'd do that?"

"Us." He corrected. "In a heartbeat. Hell, you know I would."

"What if it doesn't fly?" She said breathlessly.

Not that Echo really doubted that Rachel would fail at anything she put her heart into.

"I can write it off on my taxes." He answered glibly. "Echo, it isn't going to break me. And I'd make sure she doesn't fail."

She blinked. Sometimes it was hard to reconcile the Levi she knew with the powerful billionaire that he was. "That would be so amazing. It would change Rachel's life."

She'd told Levi about all that her friend had been through, and her shattered dreams.

"All you ever have to do is ask, Echo." Levi said huskily. "If it makes you happy, it's yours."

Echo blinked back the tears that were in her eyes. She didn't want to ruin her makeup job, but so many things that he did made her want to weep with gratitude that this particular nameless man had ever come into her life.

She leaned forward until she was near his ear. "_You_ make me happy, Levi. My life is nearly perfect."

He snaked a hand behind her neck and pulled her so close she could feel his warm breath against her lips.

"What do I have to do to make your life completely perfect?" He asked.

"Keep on loving me." She answered breathlessly. "And maybe dance with me."

"Done and done." He answered gruffly.

He kissed her, and she suddenly didn't give a damn if he screwed up her makeup or not.

* * *

A few months later…

The situation and setting were so similar to what had happened over four years ago, yet it wasn't at all the same.

No matter how much Echo had tried to blow off her college graduation and just have her diploma sent in the mail, Levi hadn't relented on wanting to see her walk for it. Since she was top of her class in college, she'd been asked to speak, just like she'd done at her high school graduation.

Talk about coming full circle. But God, how her life had changed! Everyone who mattered to her was here this time. Her family.

Echo stepped up to the podium in her cap and gown, more than ready to talk about a future this time. She wasn't the slightest bit nervous as she spied Levi, Erwin, Blaire, and Rachel in the front row.

She smiled as she thought about how they'd all arrived in a private jet and were whisked away to their suites in the best of hotels. They'd even arrived at the college in a damn limo.

So yeah, things were _way_ different than four years ago.

Echo put her notes for her speech on the empty surface in front of her, and her heart soared as the enormous diamond on her finger winked at her several times under the bright lights. She'd accepted it just days ago, when Levi had proposed like a boss, as though he wasn't taking no for an answer, even though he'd technically asked_._ Like there had been even a chance that she'd refuse?

Every single day, Echo found something new about Levi to love. His bossiness was the only place where they didn't really see eye-to-eye, and since she'd become publicly linked with him, he'd been obsessive about her security. She didn't go anywhere without his security people close by. But even that was tolerable. He was a public figure, and one of the wealthiest men in the world. It was something she'd had to accept to be with him. Levi was who he was, and there was nothing she wanted to change about him, really. His wealth and power were now a part of her life. She was okay with that since he was so much more than just a billionaire to her. The money didn't really matter.

He was her everything.

If having bodyguards was all Echo had to accept, she'd gladly do it so she could have him_._

"Thank you all for being here tonight for this important occasion." She said, directly into the microphone, my voice confident. "I'd like to thank my family for coming all the way from Arizona to watch this ceremony. Especially my fiancé, Levi. Without him, I wouldn't be here today."

She'd never spoken truer words. If it hadn't been for Nameless…If it hadn't been for Levi…Echo wouldn't be graduating from college or reaching for a master's degree that was now well within her reach. He'd made it all happen.

Echo met his eyes as she started to talk about how her whole graduating class was going to go out and set the world on fire with their education.

They locked eyes as she spoke, and she could feel the support and love radiating from his soul. His gaze was fierce, but it also reflected a tenderness that turned her inside out.

Finally, Echo glanced down at her notes, and she had to break eye contact, but it didn't matter. She could still feel him because they had that kind of connection, one so deep that no amount of distance would ever really separate them. She felt his pride,his adoration, and more importantly his love.

She looked at Erwin, Blaire, and Rachel, the family she'd never had.

_Blood doesn't always make a family._

Echo knew that for certain now_._ Like Erwin had suggested, she'd made her own family, and she was surrounded by love.

When she arrived at the conclusion of her speech, she smiled at Levi, and he grinned back at her with a mischievous wink. Echo's heart stuttered, just like it always did when he smiled, something he did readily now. He was no longer imprisoned. Levi had managed to break out beautifully. We went to his big lab and offices every day to work with his team, and he didn't hesitate to go out anywhere in public.

She finished her speech, and when she was done, Echo was greeted with a huge round of applause. She almost took the steps down from the stage two at a time, but her heels wouldn't let that happen. As the crowd stood to disperse, she threw herself into Levi's arms.

His strong arms wrapped around her tightly as he rasped into her ear, "You were amazing, Echo. I love you."

Yep…her graduation was _way_ different this time.

"I love you, too." Echo said, in a loud whisper into his ear. "Thank you for being my nameless hero."

"Nameless is gone." He said huskily, as he continued to squeeze her tight.

She smiled as he pulled back to kiss her.

There would always be just a little bit of Nameless inside Levi. He'd always be protective. He'd always be there for her. He'd always be the one person she could count on to have her back. And he'd always be the passionate lover who would rock her world every time he touched her.

And Echo was definitely okay with that.

* * *

BlueMoon Goddess: Well folks that it the end! Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, and following this story. I'm so happy that you all enjoyed this fic and I'm so glad that it went well for my first time doing an Attack on Titan fic. If the mood strikes me again, I might do another fic for this fandom, but we'll have to see. I do have other fics, so please take a look at them!


End file.
